Just a note - there's a dialogue exchange inspired by a scene from Grey's Anatomy - said by the character Izzie Stevens - so credit where it is due! Don't want to see which one to avoid spoiling. Thank you for reading! Enjoy!

I do not own Teen Wolf.


"Get me an ambulance here at the Sheriff's station. We've got an explosion. We have multiple officers down. Multiple officers down. We need an ambulance ASAP. On the double." the Sheriff was shouting into the phone.

Stiles could barely keep his thoughts straight, the destruction they walked into at the station, and it had nothing to do with the fox spirit possessing his mind.

His dad's entire office was splintered and there was glass and destruction everywhere. It appeared that the delivery that morning into his office that was supposed to be just batteries and office supplies was actually a bomb all wrapped up. Stiles, of course, had known, but it's not as though his voice was heard anywhere outside of his head.

The one thing that did surprise him, however, was the sight of Derek and Allison's dad together next to the Sheriff's office. Derek had glass shards all in his back, Argent holding him up and looking at him in awe, so clearly something was happening there. They normally were civil, enough to work together when needed, but anything more than that was unusual.

Stiles wanted to go talk to Derek, or ask somebody else to, but his body was moving to look at the different bloodied bodies. He could feel the power surging through his cells, like he had just had some sort of power-up, and he wondered if maybe the nogitsune had.

Didn't someone say something about the nogitsune being drawn to chaos, pain and strife? Wasn't that exactly what this was?

"Scott? Scott?" he heard his voice say as he got closer to a dying deputy. His best friend rushed over.

Scott climbed over and squatted next to him as the man spluttered, blood likely caught in his throat.

His voice shook. "Can you do something? Take his pain? Anything to make it easier?"

Scott grasps his hand and does as asked, black coursing up his arm. The man's eyes turned to Scott, his face crumpled in pain and he grunted before taking his final breath.

Stiles watched, feeling his heart wrench, as Scott's horrified face showed his shock and he shakily gave the deceased man his hand back, placing it against his chest.

Stiles' dad was shouting at them, gesturing them to get the hell out of there, to move, to leave.

Stiles was still staring at the man in front of them, his mind caught up in the fact that he played a part in that man's life ending. The nogitsune didn't turn his face away, letting him absorb it all.

Scott was pulling on him, yanking him towards the door.

"We need an ambulance."

Kira came rushing through the door.

"The Oni. They're coming." It was dark out now. What if they came to the station? Killed more than were already dying?

Scott was the first to react. "Stiles, we gotta get you out of here."

Scott, maybe you should let them kill him. Even if it means killing me. Look what he's done already—what we've done….

No one heard a thing.


Allison and Lydia had gone to find out what had happened with Allison's dad and Derek, why the hell they were at the police station ahead of them, in what looked like at the time of the bombing, and Stiles, Kira and Scott were heading to the vet clinic.

"The animal clinic?" Kira asked in surprise when Scott suggested it.

"Yeah, the place is lined with mountain ash, just like my house. It'll buy us some time."

"But they can get through?"

"Eventually." Scott admitted.

Stiles drove, scrunching his face in his typical skeptical manner. "No one's got any better ideas? Okay, sure, animal clinic."

He continued down the road, wipers going to swipe away the rain. It was starting to rain harder.

It wasn't far to the animal clinic from the station. Stiles braked hard and they piled out quickly, knowing getting inside behind the mountain ash safety net was crucial.

But the Oni appeared before they made it all the way in.

Scott tossed his clinic keys at Stiles immediately.

"Stiles, get inside!"

Stiles expected Kira to follow as he raced over, but she didn't.

"Hey, Kira, get inside! Kira!"

But she had joined the fight, grabbing a pipe since she didn't have her katana handy. She used her ninja-like skills on the Japanese warriors, Scott striking them with claws and hand-to-hand combat. He dodged slices and scrapes until one particular sword stabbed him right through his middle, clean to the other side.

Stiles felt his insides freeze, but it was Kira who screamed out in anguish at the sight.

She went straight for the Oni in question, doing a high kick into its chest so it stumbled back.

Stiles ran over to help, grasping Scott and holding him upright.

"All right, come on, get him inside. Get him inside."

Scott was gasping, clearly in a lot of pain, as they escorted him inside and locked the doors behind them. Not that the Oni used doors but they didn't need any other unwelcome visitors.

"It's okay, Scott, okay? You can't heal until it's out, so I'm going to take it out, okay?" Kira told him as he nodded.

Before she could grasp around the handle, Stiles' hand shot out to grab her wrist.

She looked at him in surprise, Scott's face twisting in shock, but, expressionless, Stiles slammed her down so her head hit the table.

She crumpled to the floor, unconscious.

Scott stared at him, terrified, and Stiles, the real Stiles, felt his insides pain at how scared his best friend looked. He'd never seen him direct that look to him, and it hurt. It hurt a lot.

His body breathed in deeply.

"You okay?" he asked, sincerity almost in his tone and on his face.

Scott shook his head. "Please don't. Stop."

His fingers twiddled over the handle before gripping it. "It's okay."

He placed one hand on Scott's shoulder as he tightened his grip. And then his expression mutated as he began twisting the sword back and forth, cutting into Scott's flesh like butter. He was so much stronger this way.

Scott screeched out, gasping and choking on the pain, groaning at the action.

"Does that hurt? Hey, look at me. You should have done your reading, Scott." His voice was so different from Stiles', so cold and dark. His eyes seemed darker too, void of their usual playful light. "See, a nogitsune feeds off chaos, strife and pain. This morning, you took it from Isaac, then you took it from Coach, and then from a dying deputy. All that pain, you took it all." He sucked in a deep breath and his voice dropped to a more menacing level. "Now. Give it to me."

He touched Scott's face and sucked all the pain out of him, every last ounce. It was like when Scott did it, black coursing through their veins, except Stiles had never seen the opposing party look pained, whereas Scott was barely able to stand up. He gasped for air as Stiles drank in the power, the fire igniting his bones. He knew what the demon was talking about—he could feel the power thrumming inside him.

Stiles' face was grinning maliciously, amusement clearly shining through. "You really have to learn, Scott. You really have to learn not to trust a fox." He could see Scott processing, thinking back throughout the day, realizing he hadn't had his best friend back at all. "Mm-mm. No, 'cause they're tricksters. They'll fool you. They'll fool everyone."

"Not everyone." an authoritative voice interrupted, Deaton stepping next to them.

The one possessing him may not know yet, but Stiles knew he was in trouble.

Deaton plunged a needle into his neck, injecting some sort of serum, and Stiles felt his hands reach out in the hopes of balancing, gripping onto Deaton's shirt. But he was too weak. His body collapsed to the floor, legs like jelly.

Everything went black.


Stiles woke up groggily, blinking awake his heavy eyelids. It felt like his body had been drugged. He wanted to keep sleeping, but he knew he had to get up.

He weakly sat up, rubbing his eyes, and his breath caught in his throat.

His body had responded to him.

His hands had done what he asked. His chest halted its breathing when he got caught off-guard.

Eyes wide, Stiles held his hands out in front of him, flexing his fingers as he swiveled his hand back and forth. He touched his face, bit his lip, swallowed the lump in his throat.

This time, the tears fell. He was him. He was in control of himself again.

What happened before he passed out came rushing back.

"Scott? Scott?" he called out hoarsely.

The alpha werewolf came rushing into the room, falling to his knees in front of him as his eyes scanned his face.

"I… I'm so sorry." Stiles whispered brokenly, tears falling, but Scott tugged him into a tight hug. "You're… you must be in pain, you don't have to…"

"Shut up." Scott mumbled, breathing a sigh of relief. "I'm sorry I didn't believe you sooner. I'm sorry I didn't realize it wasn't you all day. I should've listened to you, at the high school in the chemistry classroom, when you said something was wrong…"

Stiles shook his head, getting control over his emotions now. "Don't blame yourself. It was way beyond anything we could've imagined."

"What matters is that you're okay, that you're you. You're not in the clear yet, we have to figure out how to get him out of you, but at least we have you to help us. You're the one always figuring things out."

Stiles smiled slightly, grateful for his best friend's faith, and he struggled to lift himself to his feet.

Scott followed, hissing painfully as his abdomen moved in the action.

"I'm okay." he promised, seeing Stiles' heartbroken expression. "I know that wasn't you. It's healing. It's just going to take a little time."

"How's Kira?" Stiles suddenly asked, remembering the way she had slammed into the table thanks to the nogitsune.

"She's okay. Deaton's looking after her in another room. She just got knocked out. Might have a slight concussion, but nothing too serious. It's okay."

Stiles' guilt wasn't turned off that easily, but he nodded anyways.

They both turned in direction to the front of the clinic when they heard the sound of the bell. Someone had just come in.

"We're closed…" Scott muttered, heading out to the front desk. "Stay here, Stiles."

He sighed and acquiesced.

"What are you doing here?" he heard Scott ask, but he didn't sound upset.

"We were worried about you guys. Where are Stiles and Kira?"

Allison.

"Out back. Sorry we disappeared so quickly. I texted you, but I didn't see where you went at the station."

"We went to check on my dad and Derek. Figure out why they were there, how they knew."

"And?"

"Well, according to Derek, when he went to confront my dad about the emitter in his loft, they got in a… disagreement. By the sounds of it, once their testosterone died down, my dad noticed the closet in his office was open. There was a briefcase of money in there, the same one that Katashi had offered Derek when he was posing as a gun seller. They had never taken the money though, since my dad was really there to ask about the Oni, so it didn't make sense why he had it. But then your dad burst in, arrest warrant in hand for Katashi's murder, and since both my dad and Derek were seen on Katashi's cameras and with the briefcase they left without, they got brought in to the station." Allison breathed. "They now think it was Stiles' doing, or, well, the nogitsune's. My dad knew them getting arrested wasn't the real reason they were there—that there had to be another plot going on. And then, when the Sheriff called to alert the station of the bomb in their midst, the chaos confirmed it. Derek used his supernatural hearing to pick up the sound of the bomb right before it went off and dove to cover my dad just as it went off. He's full of glass, but he saved my dad's life. My dad was pretty impressed with that and took him to get patched up. I don't know what's going to happen on the legal side of things, everything is in chaos over there right now, so since there wasn't more me and Lydia could do, we came here."

Stiles felt his nerves double. Lydia was there too. He sort of figured, what with Allison saying 'we', but having it confirmed made him weak in the knees. He didn't know what to say to her. She had been acting wary of him forever. How would she be now that she knew the truth? That he had been so convincing earlier?

"Did the Oni come?" Lydia asked Scott.

"They did. But they didn't get to him. Me and Kira fended them off, for the most part."

"For the most part? What does that mean?"

"Come on. Let's talk out back."

Stiles prepared himself to see them, inhaling deeply as they rounded the corner.

"You okay?" Allison asked, looking him over for any signs of pain.

He grimaced. "I'm fine."

Lydia, however, was studying him like a complicated math equation. Her eyes were narrowed in concentration, lip between her teeth.

"Lydia?" Allison said in confusion.

But Lydia's face relaxed and broke into a smile. "It's really you."

He smiled in return. "It's me."

She crossed the room to hug him close. He breathed in the smell of her hair. Strawberries.

"We've had you back all day…?" Allison said slowly, then looked over to Scott. "Haven't we?"

"Not exactly." Stiles said, figuring it was about time to start explaining the full truth about the day they had had.


Kira and Deaton eventually rejoined them as Stiles rehashed the details of his possession, the plans he knew that the nogitsune had done, the way he gained power, and how dark his mind truly was.

It took some time, getting it all out on the table, trying to explain the things he had learned along the way, like about Kira's mother.

Kira had already known her mother had summoned the Oni, thanks to seeing her at school, but even she seemed surprised by Stiles' comment about her mother's conversation with him at the hospital.

Another bell sounded, and Stiles stopped talking instantly. Who else could be there?

Correction: who else could be there that was on their side?

"Stay here. All of you." Scott ordered, going to greet the new visitor. "What are you doing here?"

Unlike earlier, his voice was much less enthusiastic.

Noshiko's voice was clear, even as far away as they were collected.

"Hand over the Nogitsune."

"That's Stiles back there."

"For now. The fox is only poisoned, not dead."

"We are not killing my best friend." Scott argued, his alpha power radiating in his voice.

"Your friend is already gone. The nogitsune just is using his body."

Lydia moved closer to Stiles, wrapping a protective arm around his waist.

He wasn't ready to admit how much he had missed her touch, missed her in the last while.

"Wait, how do you know he's been poisoned?"

"I'm connected to the Oni. They can sense these things."

"We know you summoned the Oni. Tell us what you know about the nogitsune. I'd be happy to kill the nogitsune, when it's not living inside my best friend."

"There is no way to separate Void from its host. You may be able to keep it at bay for now, with the wolf lichen serum in his veins, but once it runs out, the nogitsune will be at full power again. And your best friend will only be able to watch while he destroys everything."

"You sound as though you're speaking from experience."

"It's been a long time since he was taken down, but he's undefeatable. When you gave power back to the Nemeton, you knew there would be consequences. You knew you were messing with magic and supernatural beings you couldn't even wrap your minds around. You think what he's done so far is bad? You have no idea what he's capable of."

"So tell us. Help us fight this."

"The only way to fight is to kill the host, to subdue Void into a state where he can be contained."

"You will not kill Stiles."

"Then prepare to watch this city, the world, meet its destruction. All for one teenage boy."

"We will find a way."

"And you'll cost many their lives in the process, only to realize the truth I am trying to tell you. Your friend has no hope. Void needs to be stopped now, while he's not in control."

"I'm not killing my best friend. I'll find a way."

"Don't be a fool, Scott McCall."

"You can see yourself out. You're not welcome here." he said coldly before returning to his friends.

"Scott…"

"Stiles, I don't want to hear it. We're not letting anyone hurt you. It's not your fault this happened to you." Scott argued immediately.

Stiles looked down, mouth closing. He wasn't entirely sure he was right.

"What do we do now?" Lydia asked.

"Hit the books, I guess. Try to figure out how to beat this. Our one known source that knew about nogitsunes is dead, and the other is hell bent on killing Stiles. There has to be another way."

Stiles admired Scott's optimism. He wished he felt the same.

He looked to Deaton. "How long… how long will it last?"

He didn't need him to explain. "Not long."

Stiles nodded. "Then we need to get me somewhere quick. Somewhere I can't hurt anyone."

"Like where?" Allison asked.

Stiles swallowed. "Eichen House."


Stiles dug through his dresser drawers, not really sure what clothes to wear. Sweats and a t-shirt, he guessed, but he wasn't sure if they'd put him in something else once he checked in.

Was there any point in packing anything? He wouldn't be allowed to do much.

He ran a hand through his hair, exhaling slowly. He knew this was the right decision, but making it wasn't easy.

Scott had stopped him before he left the clinic earlier, reminding him that Eichen House might not be the best idea. That Scott couldn't help him once he was in there.

But Stiles knew that, knew that getting in wouldn't be possible. No matter what trouble he faced, he'd have to survive it for 72 hours.

But, he had said to Scott what he needed to know.

"I can't help you once you're in there." Scott had said.

"And I can't hurt you."

"Deaton's got some ideas, Argent's calling people. We're going to find something. And if we can't…"

"If you can't… if you can't, then you need to do something for me, okay? Make sure I never get out."

It had hurt to see the pained expression on Scott's face, but he needed him to understand. The lichen poison would wear off, Void would come back full force, and it was unlikely that they would figure something out before the three days were up.

His dad was heading to LA tomorrow to speak to a specialist about his MRI scans. He wanted to find out more, see what they could do.

Isaac was finally out of the hospital, having gotten out earlier that evening, but Stiles didn't have time to go see him. They may not always get along, but he was grateful he was okay and wouldn't have objected to checking in on him. But Derek was taking good care of him, and hopefully he'd be back to full health soon. For now, Stiles had other things to worry about.

He looked up when he heard a soft knock on his open door. He assumed it was his dad coming in to check if he was ready.

A shy strawberry-blonde stood in his doorway instead.

"Lydia."

"Hey."

She seemed more hesitant than usual, and he hadn't been oblivious to the wariness she sported around him these days.

"Come in, please." he added, stopping what he was doing so she knew she had his full attention.

She grimaced and closed the door quietly behind herself.

"I'm sorry to stop by unannounced."

"It's fine, Lydia. You're welcome any time. What's up?"

"I think you know." she said, stepping in front of him and raising an eyebrow.

He sighed. "They're already expecting me. They have a room for me, it's only 72 hours…"

"Stiles, there are so many things that could go wrong. Have you even fully thought this through? Why do you feel a pull to go there of all places?"

"We have to figure out Void's connection to there. Barrow was admitted there. The bomb at the police station was in a thing of screws just like the shrapnel bomb he set off years ago. There has to be a reason out of all the psychopathic murderers out there, he chose Barrow. There might be something helpful there, someone who knows more."

"Maybe he just chose him because he's a sociopath who has experience witnessing the supernatural. Stiles, I really don't think this is a good idea…"

He caught her wringing hands and pulled them to his chest, shutting her up.

His knees bent to lower himself to her eye level.

"Lydia, it's just for a few days, until we come up with a better plan. I promise I'll be back as soon as I can."

"I have a really bad feeling about this. About that place."

"He can regain power at any time, and with my diagnosis as it is, it's better for everyone that I am somewhere that keeps me inside."

"We don't even know if those scans are real."

"We also don't know if they're not real. My dad's going down to LA tomorrow to talk to a specialist. And whether they are or not, it's no mystery that I haven't been myself lately."

"Eichen House is not a safe place, Stiles. Not for anyone. And you're going to be stuck in there, with no way of letting us know that you're okay…"

"I know."

"So, stop packing! Stop talking about it like it's no big deal!" Lydia couldn't help raising her voice slightly, her emotions getting the better of her.

"Lydia, I have to go. And soon. So talk to me. Tell me the real reason why you don't you want me to go so badly."

"Because…" She went quiet, and he knew she was reprocessing her words. There was more to it. "Look… there are actual crazy people in there, okay? And… not everyone comes out of there alive. I…" She looked down, but he didn't miss the glisten of moisture in her green eyes. "I have better friends here in Beacon Hills than I've ever had anywhere. And you're the whole reason for that. You… you're my best friend, Stiles. I can't lose you. I can't."

"Lydia…"

She turned away, just out of reach from his outstretched hand.

"Look, I get it. You'll be fine. You'll be okay. Even if you're locked in there forever, or if Void takes over and gets trapped in there like a mental patient while you get to watch like some sick TV show. But what about me? What am I supposed to do without you? I can't do this without you, Stiles, not all of this. I… I need you. Please." she begged, not even bothering to hold back the tears overtaking her body. She was practically sobbing now, and Stiles' face looked utterly heartbroken at the state of her, but she couldn't help it. This was all too much. "I'm sorry, but Stiles, I-I… I need you. I can't lose you too. Please, don't go. Please stay. We can figure this out. Together."

He cupped her face, turning her to him, eyes wet now too.

"Lyds… when he gets control back, and he will, I won't be me. He may pretend to be me, but I'm stuck inside him, screaming my throat raw and he doesn't make a sound. I want to fight alongside you, I do, but this isn't one of those times that that's possible. You have to be strong. Know that I believe in you. That I'm fighting as hard as I can to get back to all of you."

She nodded, sniffling and letting him dry her face with his thumbs. "I know. I'm sorry."

"You know, I think you look really beautiful when you cry."

She rolled her eyes, but she giggled against her will, and the corners of his lips turned upwards at the sound.

"You have no idea how much I've missed you."

Stiles let his hands find her waist, rubbing circles in her lower back. "Right back at you."

"I guess I should let you go, huh? Your dad will come looking for you soon." she mumbled.

He pulled her into a close hug, her face immediately nuzzling into his neck.

"Trust me, I don't want to let you go."

They separated enough to meet eyes, both sets heavy with sadness of the impending farewell.

Without another word, she crossed the distance between them and pulled his face down to hers to meet their lips.

The kiss was long and needy, the built up desperation pouring through her lips into his. His lips tumbled over hers with practiced grace, eager but loving, and his grip on her tightened. Her hands on his neck pulled him closer, not wanting to ever let him go, wanting to keep them locked together while the world passed them by because this was what safety felt like. Stiles' hands on her waist, his scent in her nose, his skin under her fingers, his lips on hers. He was breathing her in, kissing her, everything about him so gentle.

When they finally broke apart, she bowed her head, letting the tears fall recklessly. He reached out to wipe them away.

"Please don't cry, Lydia."

She forced a watery smile, touching the hand cupping her cheek to hold it there as she looked up at him. "I'm okay. I'll be okay. Just… do what you have to do. We'll get through this."

Stiles looked like he was fighting himself about saying something, but his mouth closed and she knew the decision was made. If he was hesitating on saying what she wanted to hear, she knew he was right to. Now wasn't the time for that kind of exchange.

He pulled her into a close hug, pressing a long kiss to the top of her head, his grip on her making it clear that leaving her was a hard struggle.

But he let go, kissing her softly on the lips once more, making her want to lean in for more, but he had already swept away.

"Be careful, okay?"

Stiles smiled at her from his bedroom doorway, angling his head to try to mask the tears in his eyes. "You too, Lydia. Stay safe."

And with that, he was gone.

Lydia walked over to his window and watched him get in the Sheriff's car. Moments later, it peeled away down the street.

Hot tears blurred her vision and she collapsed back on his bed, hugging his pillow that still smelled like him to her chest as the sobs crawled out of her throat.

She hadn't even been able to tell him her true adversary to Eichen House, but she doubted it would've mattered. He was determined. And now she was scared she'd never see him again.

This wasn't the way they were supposed to be.


Stiles couldn't help his eyes from wandering over his new 'friends' as he and his dad walked through the lobby.

There was a guy contorting himself in his wheelchair to watch Stiles, a sinister smirk on his lips. Another girl stared blankly at him from behind a caged door while stroking her hair, as if she was plotting something.

"Mr. Stilinski. This way please." a nurse called out, smile on her lips that didn't quite reach her eyes.

Stiles led the way, his dad following closely behind.

She handed the paperwork to his dad, the consent form for the admittance, and began going over the rules for his stay.

"First 72 hours, there's no phone calls, no emails, no visitors. We will be taking you from here to a brief physical. In the morning, you'll be assessed by a staff psychologist, speak to a social worker and attend group therapy."

Sounds fun. he added bitterly in his head. Would they be able to tell he had something darker inside him and lock him in there for life regardless?

"I feel like we're forgetting something." his dad said, clearly distracted by the noises in the institution. Frequent doors closing, people vocalizing their distaste, and typical sounds associated with an old building were floating through the air into the office.

The nurse, unperturbed by his dad's comment, passed him foam slip-on shoes.

"You'll be wearing these, Stiles. No laces allowed. You don't have a belt, do you?"

He shook his head.

She placed a white bin on the desk. "Please empty your pockets in here."

He dug through to drag out his change, phone, keys, and wallet.

"Your pillow. Your pillow. We forgot your pillow."

Damn. He had forgotten it. When Lydia stopped by, her visit had thrown his concentration way off. He still couldn't get the kiss out of his mind.

"Dad, it's okay." he promised.

"No, no, you're never going to be able to fall asleep. We've got to go back."

"It's fine, Dad. I don't need it."

"I can't believe I forget it. I mean, every time we've ever stayed in a hotel, the first thing you pack is your pillow."

"You'll bring it tomorrow. It's all right." he added, nodding to the nurse to let her know they could continue.

"Okay, you know what, stop. Stop. Enough. Stiles, get your stuff. I'm not checking you in here if you're not going to get one good night's sleep." his dad said in frustration, standing up.

Stiles forced a smile at him and got up. "Dad. I haven't had a good night's sleep in weeks."

He hugged him, biting his lip when his dad tightened his grip on him, knowing that it was killing him to check his son into a place like the one he was. He couldn't imagine how hard this was on his dad, after dealing with everything that happened with his late wife.

He followed the nurse down a series of hallways, glancing back to see his dad watching forlornly before turning away.

Stiles sat through his physical exam, mostly bored and answering any questions they asked while they prodded him. It was only brief, so eventually, he resumed following the nurse to where he'd be spending the night.

The sleepless night, but he was getting pretty used to that by now.

They reached the main staircase, that wrapped around itself to the many floors above.

The nurse was talking, but he was distracted by another voice on what sounded like it might be the top floor. He was repeating some weird phrases as he knotted something to the railing.

"I'm the part of the bird that's not in the sky."

"Hey do you see that?" Stiles asked the nurse as they walked, trying to crane his neck to see up the few floors and beyond the railing.

"I'm the part of the bird that's not in the sky."

He moved faster, trying to get up there. He had a bad feeling.

The nurse was impatient. "Stiles, wait for me."

"I'm the part of the bird that's not in the sky. I'm the part of the bird that's not in the sky."

"That guy up there." He started to say, not really sure how to finish. He picked up his pace.

"I can swim in the ocean yet still remain dry. I can swim in the ocean yet still remain dry. I can swim in the ocean yet still remain dry."

"Hey, stop him!" Stiles shouted, seeing the guy's feet as he climbed to the railing.

There was no doubting what was going to happen. The knotted sheets had formed a noose, and it was around his neck.

"I can swim in the ocean yet still remain dry. I can swim in the ocean yet still remain dry."

"Somebody stop him!" Stiles hollered.

But the man stepped off the ledge and the sounds of bone snapping echoed through the building.

The nurse he was with gasped, but Stiles was distracted by the whispers below and looked down to see a group of people collected, gossiping about the event.

Among them, a fully bandaged man in a leather jacket snarled amusedly as he slipped away from the crowd.

Void.

Maybe Lydia was right. This place wasn't safe for anyone at all. Especially him.