A thud. That is the first thing he hears when he is coming back to his senses. His eyes are closed and they feel so heavy he doesn't want to attempt to open them, it feels as if his eyelids have been knitted. But it is not that, it his tiredness, is his helplessness. He has been caught.
He failed.
"How he managed to hide his scent?" A voice says near him thought it feels a little muffled to his ears.
"I don't understand, I still can't feel him" Erica's voice agrees.
"It has to be a binding" The voice of the she wolf he saw the day before and who caught him says casually.
"Don't be stupid, Chris Argent can't bind anymore, everyone knows that" Now the voice of Theodore joins the conversation.
"Then how…?"
"There must be another explanation, maybe…"
"Maybe what?" Another male voice joins.
Chris slowly opens his eyes. His heads starts swaying and throbbing. He can feel a sticky spot in the back of his head where she must have hit him to faint him hours ago.
He is inside a dark room, there is not even a thread of light filtering through a window. Does it have any windows? It is scary, it is like being shut inside eternal darkness. He can't tell the size of the room, as far as he knows he can be inside a football field size's room or just into a small box. It makes him feels anxious.
He needs to get out of here.
"Maybe someone else casted a binding for him" Theodore explains.
"We should question him, we could use his method in case the STCU decides to show up"
"They can't catch scents like us Deborah, it would be useless"
Chris rolls on his back. Damn! He is so weak, and the darkness doesn't help, he can't even see his nose, if it wasn't for their voices he would lose his head in no time.
"How can't you know? They never experimented with you. You have no idea of the shits that happens inside that place"
"Is true?" Erica's voice asks shocked. "They really kept you there? How did you scape?"
"You won't believe it but I found a…"
"There is no time for this. Where the hell is Vernon? Why he hasn't come back yet?"
"I think…."
"He should be here already"
Chris kneels with shaking arms and swings a hand ahead slowly trying to find something to hold on to, a chair, a bed, a wall.
"Maybe he got lost" Erica mutters a little irate.
"He better not, that is the only phone with battery in the whole frigging place" Theodore warned.
He crawls a little more and his nails find a hard surface, by its dimensions and texture it has to be a wall. Their voices are now nearer. The door must be here somewhere.
"Take it easy, he must be on his way"
"I hope so, I want to get out of here as soon as possible. I'm tired of this woods"
"And what? Do you really think Damien is going to find a way to break the barrier? Or that he actually his a fuck about us?" Theodore asks.
"He will come, as soon as he knows that he have Argent him or Marcus will come for him, I just can't believe that there isn't any signal in this stupid cabin"
With a big effort Chris manages to stand and quickly sweeps the wall looking for a handle or something similar to it.
"I'm sick of this shit, I say we should kill him right now" One of the voices Chris doesn't recognize says sharply.
"Are you crazy? They could kill us" Another one hurries to say.
"Why are you too acting like a pair of scared pups? They are as strong as us, they are not better than us"
"Marcus is going to take Damien's place if something happens to him"
"My ass! I'll take his place when I make something happen to him!" Replies the voice chortling.
There are some laughs, but Chris can easily say that not everyone is amused.
"What are you doing?"
Chris hears steps, then a handle spinning
"Hey! Are you crazy? He might…"
A line of light. Of precocious and beautiful light filters through the gap just feet away from Chris. There is no time to think or plan anything, he is hurt, disarmed, hungry and wounded. He can't stand a chance against them, but he has no choice, he must get out of here and get into the city, they can't leave the woods after all.
He lumbers toward the door.
There are screams.
"You stupid piece of shit!"
Growls. Chris reaches the door and the light blinds him for a second, he can see hair, some fans and boots. He is losing his balance.
"Where you think you're going?" A blonde wolf says with a sheepish grin.
His hand comes so fast Chris doesn't have time to react. He hears the creaking of his nose breaking. His mind gets numb and then he feels the sting in the back of his head when it hit the ground.
"What the hell did you do?"
"Is he dead?"
"I don't know…I think he is…"
"I don't care who you think you are but no one is going to touch him, until Damien comes for him"
"He can't get in"
"Then he will need to find the way"
"Who named you the leader here?"
"I did it myself and if he dies because of what you just did I swear I'm gonna…"
"If he dies, then he was a shitty silver. I expected more from the infamous Christopher Argent"
He…He expected more from himself too.
….
"Here we are" Stiles says happily closing the door at his back.
"Is my mommy here?" Dylan asks hopeful looking around the dark drawing room as if trying to find the woman hiding in the shadows.
Stiles shakes his head.
"I'm so sorry buddy, she is not here"
He hears a whine.
"But I promise we're going to find her" He quickly adds to appease him. "Okay? We're going to look for her tomorrow"
He nods.
"My name is Stiles"
"I'm hungry Stiles" Dylan says a little embarrassed.
Stiles chuckles. "Alright, let's make that hamburger then"
"Yay!" The child lets out happily.
Stiles starts making his head toward the kitchen as he turns on the lights and takes a look at Dylan as he gets illuminated. He is really dirty and there is blood in his knee from when he fell in the forest.
"You need a bathroom" Points out, he is not sure how things work with children, since he never had a brother or a sister but…He hopes Dylan likes baths.
He nods without saying a word.
Stiles takes him downstairs and shows him the shower, but since it is too high for Dylan for use it, he decides to take him to his dad's room to use the tub.
"I'll work in the dinner, I'll leave you new clothes on the bed, alright?"
He makes his way to the door again and he hears a boy whimper at his back. He quickly spins and finds him rubbing his eyes.
"What's wrong buddy?" He asks arching a brow with concern.
"My mommy is not coming for me, right?"
Crap. Stiles can't help reminding…That day, a year and some months ago. The day his mom passed and he became just a boy, whipping in a waiting room. Craving for his mom's hugs and chastisements and laughs. He understands Dylan's pain and can't help feeling scared for him. What if his mother is dead? How is Stiles going to explain it to him?
No, she is alive. She has to. He thinks balling his hands. But if she is alive…What kind of mother vanishes and leaves his little boy behind?
"She will come, don't worry. Now wash yourself while I cook, okay?"
"Okay" Dylan replies listlessly.
Stiles closes the door and goes to his bedroom. He is sure there must be some of his old clothes in his drawers, he used to visit his grandparents too often to spend time with Scott and he always left something behind.
He gets an old pajama of the power rangers that he isn't sure if was Scott's or his and comes back to his dad's room where he leaves it in the bed. He knocks the door.
"The clothes are here, I'll downstairs" Announces and comes down.
He gets in the kitchen and grabs the vegetables, puts the grill on top of the kitchen and goes to the fridge to get the meat.
While he slices the tomato and the onion he wonders if his dad is on his way already. It's been a crazy week lately and now they barely see each other. He knows that something has been going on in the hospital. His dad is getting late and since the whole town is paranoid because of what has happened the past days, it is understandable that he must have a lot of work.
The hamburgers start grilling and the tasty smell fills the air. Maybe he should make one for his dad too instead of his usual boiled eggs and smashed potatoes. Stiles knows that sometimes he is overprotective with his dad and the man thanks it but he bets that time to time he must miss have real meals.
"Is it ready?" The boy asks suddenly at his back and Stiles yelps taken aback.
"Hey!" He chuckles. "Yeah! Just a minute" Mutters taking the bread and starting to fill it with the ingredients.
Weird! He didn't feel him or heard his steps at all. He moves smoothly, like a feline.
"Here it is" He says staring at his work proudly.
"Can I watch the cartoons while I eat it?" Dylan asks with puppy eyes that reminds him of Scott.
Stiles smiles with sadness and nods. "There is a TV in the living and another in my bedroom if you like to sleep right away"
The boy presses his lips in a thin line and arches a brow thoughtful. "The bed" Says cheerful and runs toward the Stiles to take the plate.
Stiles notices it then. Now that Dylan is fully clean and changed his clothes…Stiles can see his true self. His skin is even paler than before, there are deep hollows below his sore eyes that are full of…He can't tell what, fear? Sadness? This little boy has a deep and hurtful stare that is breaking Stiles heart.
What happened to him? Who is he? Where is his mom? What he has come through to have those eyes?
"Stiles?" The boy asks confused.
"Go" Stiles says with a smirk. "I'll get the chocolate milk"
Dylan takes his plate with him upstairs and once Stiles feels he is completely alone he lets his tear stream. It is so painful, how can he smile? How can he feel happy? Is he pretending? Do kids can forget things easily? Or is it easier for them to accept things? Dylan lived something awful the past days, weeks or months. Stiles is not sure, but he is afraid to find out the secret behind that stare.
He comes to the fridge and snatches the chocolate milk. He goes upstairs and finds Dylan sitting on his bed chewing his hamburger happily while he watches some cartoons.
Stiles takes a bite from his own hamburger and handles the glass of chocolate milk to the boy.
He sips and continues staring at the television as hypnotized by it.
When they finished their meal Dylan yawns.
"Sleepy uh?" Stiles says with a smirk as he stands and goes to the dresser to look for his sleeping bag.
"Stiles?" The boy says with concern.
"What happens buddy?"
Dylan stares at the sleeping bag on Stiles hands and fear leaps through his eyes harder than before. "Could you…Could you sleep with me?"
"I won't anywhere, I'll be in the floor next to the…."
"Please! I don't want the monsters to come" Dylan begs.
"Dylan, the monsters aren't real it is just…"
"Please!"
Stiles chuckles. "All right" Nods leaving the sleeping bag on the floor and getting in the bed.
As soon as he was next to him, Dylan beings to snore as if he has a hidden sleeping button behind his neck.
Stiles giggles and lays his head over the pillow. What a weird little boy, after all the things that he might have seen in his past he is still innocent enough to be afraid of the…Monsters.
Stiles' heart gives a lurch. The monsters…They are real and they are in the town. A lump climbs to his throat and now he recalls the line of fertilely expelling the boy back. He is a werewolf.
He quickly draws his hand from bellow the mattress and touches Dylan's forehead with his palm looking for the usual extreme heat of the werewolves.
Nothing. Actually he is a little cold, but is common thing, the air is freezing.
He is not a werewolf but then…Why the line of fertility pushed him back?
He wants to get his laptop and do some research, but, when he tries to come out of the bed he feels the weight on his shoulders, he is so tired. His eyes are closing by themselves. He has a long and painful day and now recalls what Derek said about releasing the line. He forgot about it, he opened it to let Dylan out and then closed it again.
And this brings him back to Dylan and the fact that he was a supernatural creature.
Who was Dylan? What was Dylan?
….
She can't sleep. Everything keeps coming to her mind over and over again. The way he looked at her in class, that odd feeling that burst in her chest, the fear and the relief. I didn't make any sense.
What about know? Does it? She thinks sighing as she opens her eyes.
Scott's room is quiet and dark. She has been rolling under the covers for hours. She can't stop thinking about Uncle Jeremy and the things he said.
She should be death. It doesn't matter how much she tries to push that thought out of her mind, it just keep coming over and over and fear flutters in her chest. He said she died twelve years ago, but if she died back then…How is that she is alive? How much crap her dad has been keeping in secret for her? Now that she knows she isn't sure if she is angry or relief for all the things that her dad has been hiding from her.
She sits in her bed and stares at her hands feeling a disgusting feeling in her gut. Is she a ghost? Is she dead for real, or was it another of her dad's tricks? But if so…Why he hid the truth from Uncle Jeremy? Why hide something so relevant and important from his own brother? Didn't trust in him? But if he didn't why look for him now? It doesn't matter how many answers Allison she gets, she also finds more question wherever she goes.
And speaking of questions…
She rubs her eyes and peeks through the window at her left. Stiles said he needed to talk to her when she was with Uncle Jeremy. What happened? He said he would come over to Scott's to have the conversation, but… He never showed up. Did something happen to him?
She should call him though, his self has been feeling weird through the bond the whole day. She doesn't know what is it exactly but…It is like if something is leaving him, he feels shorter and shorter inside her as if he is an anthill being swept away by the wind bit a bit.
She takes her phone in her hand and looks for his number. It is pretty late though. He must be sleeping right now because she can't feel any consistent feeling coming from him, just vague and brief feelings outbursts, a little fear, happiness, calm, anger, more fear and quirky annoying and disturbing joy that she thinks might be love. This last one is the strongest, it last a minute in her chest and a weird and familiar presence comes to her though she isn't sure of who is it. It is like staring at a faceless person.
It's better to let him sleep a little.
She comes out of bed. Her mouth is dry and her throat scrappy. She gets in her slippers and walks out of the room. She wonders if Scott and his mom are already at home. When she came to bed tonight they hadn't arrive yet but considering how late it is they should be asleep.
Climbs down the stairs and turns on the kitchen's lights. Gets a glass and pours some water, takes it to her lips and drinks when a squeak makes her quiver and she spins to her left where the door's opening.
Scott comes in accompanied by a couple of bags. "Allison!" He says with tiredness in his voice.
"Scott! I thought…I thought you were asleep already" She replies taken aback.
He shakes his head. "I've been busy"
She arches a brow. "With what?"
"I brought you something" He says with a shy smirk, but she can see trough him. He is changing the subject.
He puts the bags in the table and Allison approaches to take a look. Inside the bags are at least twenty different kind of perfumes, expensive perfumes.
She cranes her neck toward him thoughtful "You know it won't be my birthday until a couple of weeks ahead, right?" She says arching a brow.
Scott nods with a grin. "I know, it is the same day as Stiles'"
She takes the first bottle and takes her to her nose to feel the delicious fragrance, she can't believe he got her this present after…What did he say? Stiles' birthday is the same day as hers? What a coinci…No! There is something weird in all this, one thing is to have a bond with the best friend of his…
She shakes her head.
Scott's best friend. She can't believe she shares her birthday with him when they both have this strange connection that she can't explain and by the looks he got the days it felt stronger, he neither.
More questions.
At least she has a clue now, there is definitely something going on between them. Something big, she can feel it in her hand every time Stiles is near and actually, it has been growing bigger and bigger the past days. Whatever it is…She is sick of wondering, she is going to ask him the next time they talk.
"Then why did you bring me…"
"Is for your safety, I want you to try these until we find one that hides your scent, the boys' are for Stiles. I would appreciate if you give it to him"
Allison stares at the bottles thoughtful. "Haven't you guys fixed things up yet?"
Scott shakes his head. "Look Allison, is better if he stays away, I don't want him to get in trouble"
"Is that way you took him to Deaton's and not me?"
Scott steps back glancing down. "No, it wasn't because of that, the guys wanted him there because he could break a magic barrier or something like it outside Dr. D's place"
"I could do that too" She points out sharply. "And you promised you would tell me what you talked to Deaton and you didn't!"
Scott's bottom lip wobbles. "Allison, you need to trust me. I just want to keep you safe"
"That's the problem Scott, I can't trust you, because every time I think I might believe in you again you start lying and hiding things from me" She says with climbing in her eyes. "Thanks for the colognes" Finishes taking the bags with her and storming out of the kitchen to get back to his bedroom.
….
The noise of steps wakes him up. Stiles flutters his eyes open and for no reason a smirk escapes from his lips. He had a dream, a good one for once in months. He can't remember what it was about but…He wanted to laugh, and was angry at the same time in it. How can someone be mad and happy at the same time? Though it sounds like an odd feeling, for some reason it feels very familiar to him. He was with someone, he can't remember who and they were yelling at each other, teasing and laughing.
There are more steps. He blinks and cranes his neck to his right. For a brief second he almost forgets who is Dylan and nearly jumps off of his bed but then he recalls and smiles. He looks so peaceful in his sleep, he wonders what he is dreaming about. Maybe his mother.
Stiles comes out of the bed, he is so tired and hungry, it is like yesterday, it is like his strength is being drained from him, and the weight on his back is not helping. He wants to keep sleeping, sleep the whole day if it's possible but…He is so hungry.
"Stiles I'm hungry" He hears Dylan mutter softly half awake and half asleep.
"You too uh?" He chuckles blinking. It looks like those hamburgers weren't big enough. "I'll get you something to eat, wait here"
He opens the door and sees a shadow passing by at high speed. His stomach plunges down and he almost yelps, but he recognizes the shape of the man climbing down the stairs while he puts on his lab gown.
He closes the door of his room at his back and follows his father.
"Dad?" He asks when he gets into the kitchen and finds the man having some fried eggs and bacon. "What you think you're doing?"
"Oh! Hey son" He says a little listless. "I'm just having breakfast"
"I'm not talking about breakfast, I mean, what are you doing eating those things?"
His dad rolls his sore eyes. "I'm just…"
"Breakfast?" Stiles asks confused. "What time is it?" He looks at the window behind his father and notices that it is still pitch dark.
"It's four am" His dad explains taking a piece of egg with his fork. "I have to go earlier today, is a very important day"
Stiles frowns. "Why? Is there something wrong?" He fears what his dad might reply, he knows that at this point someone must suspect that something is not right in the town.
"I guess you heard some rumors at school" The man starts with his Dr.'s stare.
Stiles nods. "People are scared, some say they saw monsters, others that heard explosions and other things, the hospital needs us more than ever"
Stiles chugs.
"But there is nothing to worry" The man hurries to say to calm him, but Stiles can tell he is lying. "There have been some extremely rare cases of people with strange behavior, but they are just some patience with epilepsy and schizophrenia, all this virus thing is just that, a rumor"
It is amazing that his dad really things that Stiles is going to believe that.
"That is the reason I have extra shifts, people are paranoid"
"You need to sleep dad, you look tired" Stiles points out.
His dad shakes his head. "You're the one who should sleep, you don't look very good. Maybe you should skip the gathering and sleep the whole day"
"What gathering?" Stiles says not getting his point.
"They didn't tell you at school?" His dad grits his teeth and sighs finishing his eggs and standing up. "I have some bad news Stiles, I think you met Mrs. Greenberg right?"
Stiles nods. "I know she died"
His dad presses his lips in a thin line. "There will be a memorial today at School, the principal has been calling are the student's families the whole night, but I will call and say you're not feeling fine if you want to"
Stiles considers it for a second, he still needs to figure out what do to with Dylan, some spare hours would be good for him. He can go to the commissary and…He is not sure, taking him there will mean to leave him there, means child's services taking him away, and supernatural kid, what if he gets in trouble? What if they find out about him? And Stiles promised him he would find his mom.
"Are you okay?" His dad asks frowning.
"Yeah, I'm just sleep that's all"
"I gotta go now, eat something, you look slimmer than usual, and have some sleep too" His dad says with a smirk and quickly approaches him to kiss his forehead.
When his lips touches Stile's skin it happens, just for a brief and almost imperceptible second he can feel the wobbling in his dad's bottom lip. He is concerned, frightened. Something is happening in the hospital, he should call Der….No! He is not talking that asshole!
"Bye son"
"Bye dad"
When his dad reaches the door Stiles is tempted to call him and tell him about Dylan, but then he shakes his head. He is very occupied right now and Stiles can almost see his head exploding when he finds out that he has been keeping a missing kid in their house and hadn't tell anyone yet.
He should call Scott's mom though. She knows that supernatural creatures exists, it could be helpful, and she is a cop. She can help him somehow.
He takes some toasts upstairs and eats them with Dylan and before he realizes the child is fast asleep again.
He thinks about it for what feels like hours, but when he looks at his watch he sees that it have been just a couple of minutes. He has to do something about him and soon, he needs to find his mom and Mellissa is his best option.
Though he has no strength to walk he comes out of bed again and dials the woman's number after brushing his teeth, but he gets the voice mail. She must be still asleep. Damn. A couple of seconds later he gets one of those automatically sent texts that reads.
"I'm busy, I'll call you back"
He sighs. Everyone woke up pretty early today. What he should do? He is already awake so… He turns on his heels and takes a look at Dylan, he looks so serene laying on the bed. That he doesn't want to wake him. He can go to the commissary by himself, it isn't that far, he could walk a couple of streets quickly and find out if there are some reports of a missing kid in the boards outside. He doesn't want just take Dylan, if he goes there with him…They might take him away from Stiles. It might be a little selfish but, it was him who promised him he was going to find his mom, and he wants to be Dylan's hero.
He hopes Dylan is one of those kids that like to wake up later in the morning because he is determinate. He is going to look for some answers while the boy sleeps and that way no he wouldn't be taken away from him.
He closes the doors of the house just in case and makes his way toward the stating in the darkness while he checks the local newspapers in his phone looking for news of missing kids.
Nothing.
Fifteen minutes later he is climbing the long steps to get in the commissary when he notices something odd. It is weird, from his point of view…
"Hey!" Stiles calls aloud running.
The woman at the door hops nervously as she draws her gun from its sheath pointing at Stiles.
Stiles rises his hands automatically as he feels his heart throbbing.
"Who are you?" The police officer demands.
"My name is Stiles Stilinski" The boy says swallowing.
The woman squints and she might notices that he is just a teenager because with shaking him hands hides her gun again. "I'm so sorry I just…" She starts but Stiles interrupts her.
"Are you okay?"
The woman nods and chuckles. "I'm the one who should ask you that"
"I'm sorry, you just look like you need some sleep" He points out.
She smiles. "What do you want kid?"
He needs to think fast or he might give off himself on Dylan. "I was just passing by and noticed that you were closing the stating, how…How is that possible?"
The woman rolls her eyes. "There is nothing to worry, there will be an event in the town today. All the officers are patrolling the city already, so you don't need to worry"
"But…What if someone calls for…I don't know, report a missing person?"
"This again? People must be missing for forty eight hours so we can search for them"
"Oh!" Says Stiles taken aback. "So…You get reports of missing people often uh?"
"Why are you asking all this questions? I have work to do, so if you don't mind" She says angrily starting to climb down the stairs.
"Wait" Stiles begs. "When a child is missing you attend the call immediately right?"
She nods without turning.
"Because I heard at school that many people has been missing lately, what if a kid gets lost like…I don't know, in the woods?"
"Only adults have been missing the past days and most of them have been found already" The woman replies drily. "Now, if you don't mind I have no time for your games of Sherlock Holmes, if you have something to report do it now or leave me do my work"
She spins and stares at Stiles' straight in the eye.
He shakes his head. "No, just curiosity"
"Fine, go home"
Stiles chugs and climbs down the stairs to get back home. It doesn't make any sense. Why Dylan's mother hadn't make a report yet? There are only two explanations and both of them are damn scary. The first is that his mom is dead or turned into a Wendigo which means is basically the same and the other…The other is that the woman knows that her son is different and…And she got rid of her.
He shakes his head and keeps walking. It can't be, a mother wouldn't do that to her own flesh and blood, something had to happen to her and Stiles needs to find out what.
He gets into his house quickly and climbs upstairs with the heart almost choking him, he is afraid Dylan might have woke up alone and…
He is still there, lying like a little prince in his feather's bed. Stiles now realizes something, whatever happened to Dylan and his family has something to do with the Fenrir and his pack, getting Scott's mom or someone else involve could be dangerous.
He can't call Derek and the others because they want anything to do with him and they might think Dylan is just a trick, and he couldn't blame them, after he found out that there is something out of ordinary with the kid Stiles had his own doubts, but he sees everything clear now, this beautiful little boy trusts in him and hopes he will find his mom, and Stiles won't disappoint him, he knows what is to lose a mom and he doesn't want anyone find out how hard it is.
He gets under the covers with a smile in his face, now he can have some extra rest.
He closes his eyes.
"Stiles?" Dylan's voice says suddenly.
He sighs and opens his eyes, it was too good to be true.
"Can we build a fort?"
Stiles chuckles and nods. "Of course buddy" Replies amazed again of how kids can always find reasons to smile in the hard times.
….
It have been a pretty moved morning. The bus driver stops next to her car in the school's parking lot. When he opens the door she can hear a brief and low piece of sad music, she can almost taste the anxiety in her classmates as they climb down. Behind the school bus she can see dark clouds, as if the sky is mourning Mrs. Greenberg's dead too. A storm is coming, she can feel it in her bones, something awful is about to happen. She has this odd feeling in her chest and she doesn't like it at all.
More and more students climb down of the bus and many other come in their cars as Allison but Stiles never shows up, and she can't help wondering if something happened to him, his feelings inside her are still cloudy and hard to read, which means that he still asleep or something like it.
She meets her eyes with Scott when he climbs down and she can notice the hurt in them. He probably expected her to drive him school today but…How could she do that? She is so mad at him, he keeps hiding things from her and saying that it is to protect her, but she knows better. It is Derek, Derek told him to not tell her anything because she is his enemy.
They hear the bell ring and she frowns. Why…? Why they ring the bell? She thought that there would just be a memorial today and not classes at all.
Doors and more doors swim open, from cars and the school itself and now Allison notices it and the other students too. Something is not right.
There is a large haste of people that shouldn't be here.
As she looks around she spots more and more persons approaching looking confused, some scared, others sad and the vast majority angry. Do they have something to do with Mrs. Greenberg? Did all this people know her?
She hears whispers and a guy is making a clattering noise against the bus' side making everyone feel uncomfortable. Now she spots Harris, he is wearing a dark suit his spectacles are blurred, maybe because of the cold air…Or maybe he was close to the former literature teacher.
"Excuse me everyone" He calls aloud. "Excuse me everyone" Repeats louder this time.
Bit a bit all the chattering and whispering starts fading until they are suddenly surrounded by a sharp and upsetting silence.
"Many of you must be confused and wondering what…"
"Excuse me Sr. Is the Mayor here yet?" A woman says from the right.
Allison cranes her neck and finds and young and beautiful reporter approaching Harris with her microphone held high as she make signs to a cameramen to follow her.
"I…I've been informed that the Mayor will arrive in half an hour, meanwhile the principal is asking the community and the people with inquires to join us in the playing field where we will have a memorial for our beloved friend and teacher Joan Greenberg"
As soon as he spoke those words everyone started to trudge toward the left side of the building where the football field is erected.
She can hear them, whispering, ranting, some ran to the reporter as soon as she was done with Harris, they are yelling now. This is not just a memorial they were summoned here for some other matters, and they must be expecting some issues because…
There are cops everywhere.
"I'm glad to see you" Uncle Jeremy's voice says suddenly and Allison almost lets out a shriek.
He is walking along with her as they follow the thong to the bleachers.
Allison takes seat in the first steps and Uncle Jeremy does too. She can feel Scott and Jackson's eyes on her, Lydia is making her signs from three steps up but she just ignores her. She is having an idea and is pretty sure that her Uncle is thinking the same. They should get out of here.
"Thank you all for coming over today" The principal's voice says from the middle of the field.
Allison cranes her neck and finds standing before a giant white square made of cloth with a microphone in his hands.
"As many of you may know already. The city hall has asked the permission to use our playing field to have a gathering with the citizens and clarify some misunderstandings regarding the security blanket instituted the past days"
"Security Blanket?" A voice shouted angrily far from Allison and then more uproars followed.
The principal rises his hands. "I'll ask you sir to save your inquires for the mayor though I'm pretty sure the press will address them for you in more adequately manners. For now on this is a memorial and I'll demand you respect for the family of Joan Greenberg and her students"
Everything went disturbingly silence again and before Allison notices two or maybe three hours passes before her eyes. She is starting to feel a little hungry and notices it is almost noon and they have been talking and watching pictures of Mrs. Greenberg all this time.
When the ceremony is over Allison notices that her cheeks are damp. She didn't know Mrs. Greenberg much and most of the time she fell asleep on her classes but she is feeling awfully sad right now, maybe is just infested with the common gloominess of the rest of the students or maybe she is whipping because she hadn't in a long and there are so many things stuck in her chest and this is a safe moment to drain a bit of it.
A few drops fall on her crown and then she starts seeing them in the field, tiny and brief flash of light in the fog. It always rain in the funerals? Or is this day a horrible coincidence? Everyone was going to miss Mrs. Greenberg, she didn't know her enough to say that she would too. All she can say is that she will miss the quiet hours snoozing on her classes, she won't have that anymore. This is the calm before the storm, hell is about to come to the town and she must be prepared to fight till the end.
The shouts and curses make her jolt. The mayor is here.
"First of all I'm going to ask everyone to calm down" He demands with authority.
"We're sick of hearing that, we want answers!" A woman says loudly from the top of the bleachers.
"And I'm here to give them to you my lady, but if everyone speaks at the same time I won't be able to listen to any of you"
This was enough to chill things a little. The professor are now standing from the places and asking the students to leave but no one is paying attention, they all want to hear what the mayor has to say, this doesn't look good. There are new arguing that are muffling the man's poor excuse of explanation.
"It is just for you safety, there is no such thing as virus" She hears the man's voice saying over the speaker but she is not paying much attention. Her classmates are mad, they are yelling that they are not kids anymore and they deserve answers as everybody else.
A cop leaves his place and reaches the crowd.
"We are disconnected from the outside world!" Someone calls aloud.
"That is not true, there have been some problems with communications lately but they are not related to…"
"All the carriers?" Someone else says.
"As…As I'm telling you, the issued is solved you can navigate freely on the web, I'm right now connected to the city hall's website"
"All the intranets are perfectly working mayor but all the gateways are blocked, we can't reach the outside world"
"Maybe you should take your devices to service sir"
"I'm a technical myself Mayor, my work is to repair things, there is nothing to repair here"
"I guess you need to keep working harder, then" The mayor replies sternly.
"Liar!" Someone screams.
"I don't wanna go" A students grunts at Alisson's right.
"I think it's time to go" Uncle Jeremy whispers at her ear.
Allison nods and stands.
"What about the virus? I lost my brother! They won't tell us anything in the hospital!"
"I don't know when you got this idea of a virus but it is all a misunderstanding"
"Why we can't get out of the city?"
"I have a store and I can't get supplies"
"Liar!"
"I…I can't…I can't answer you're…"
"It is all bullshit!"
"People are dying and you don't care!"
"Let's go"
Allison follows the man and a couple of teachers bringing students behind the bleachers to head back school. There are a couple of cops warding the exit.
Allison is passing by them along with some girls when one of them rises a hand to stop Uncle Jeremy.
"Is there a problem?" He asks and Allison stops short and turns toward them.
"You can't leave sir" The cop says calmly.
"Why?" He asks frowning at them.
"The Mayor asked that all teachers must listen so they can learn the situation and let know their students that everything is okay"
"But I need…"
"I'm sorry but I can't let you pass it's…"
Allison steps in front of them not sure of what she is doing, she hopes it works. "There is nothing to worry, he is back in his seat now, there is no one standing before you right now" She whispers so the rest of her classmates can't hear.
The officer's expression becomes blank and then he cranes his neck to his left.
Uncle Jeremy passes by them with a smirk on his lips. "It's you, you really are Allison" He mutters openmouthed.
"What that supposes to mean?" She asks as they walk toward the parking lot.
"You could bend his thoughts without eye contact, the rain and the storm you're everything they said you would be"
"What? Who said anything about me? The rain? I couldn't call the rain, I wouldn't know where to start" She says confused, now she is dazed and a little scared.
"It is you Allison, you did this, just a very powerful binder can make clouds of this size, I bet you covered the whole town, this mist…It's just amazing"
"I….I don't know what you're talking about, I can't control the wheatear, it would be stupid"
"You did it" He affirms nodding. "It's almost July, how can you explain that this looks like winter? You're strong, you can't just control the weather. It is almost a game to you. You don't seem to be experimenting any evisceration at least for now"
"I'm telling, I can't..."
"Try it, try to disperse the clouds and you'll see I'm right"
Allison chews her bottom lip and stops outside her car, this is stupid she can't control the weather or…
"Go ahead" He urges her. "I know you can do it"
She closes her eyes, a draft of air dishevels the hair in the back of her neck and chill runs down her spine. "I don't know Stiles…I don't think I can do this" She whimpers.
"What?" Uncle Jeremy frowns at her.
"What? What?" She says confused.
"You said something" He murmurs cresting his brow.
"Yeah and it didn't work"
"You called someone, the boy... From yesterday"
"Stiles?" Allison chuckles. "I didn't call him, I said, stupid clouds go away and it didn't work obviously"
He stares at her with some interest and dread at the same time.
"I don't…"
"Look, let's go okay? I can't wait any longer, I want the truth. I want to know why you said that I should be dead and what that means that I am everything they said I would"
He sighs. "Alright, It's time for me to give you some answers, let's go" He replies with bright and intense eyes as he climbs to his car and Allison does the same.
...
They hadn't leave the room in the whole day. Turns out that Dylan is good playing at cards, board games and video games. They are inside their fort to keep the monsters away, and Stiles keeps wondering if the monsters he wants so desperately hide from are the ones that are causing so much chaos in the city.
Because of the blankets on the windows it is so dark inside that Stiles doesn't know what time is it. They have been playing for so much hours that he isn't sure if it is noon already or if his bedtime because he feels really tired and the weight on his back is harder than ever. It's like trying to carry the incredible hulk on his back.
The only breaks they have taken is when Stiles has come downstairs to prepare something for Dylan, he is so amazed of how much he eats, it's like a baby that needs to be fed every four hours. It doesn't matter how hard he works and how big the portions are, Dylan always engulfs it all in matter of minutes. How can he be this thin then? Maybe he starved for days and subconsciously his body fears it might happen again.
He has been asking about his mom time to time to get to know a little about her and find out what might happen. So far Dylan has told him that her names is Therese, he doesn't know or understand where she works so it will be hard to find her. He also said that they build forts always and that they play for hours, she thought him everything he knows and weekly brings something new they can play with, so she is not a bad mother which throws away Stiles' theory about the woman abandoning him, so it means that…
Something happened to her.
Stiles is afraid, he fears she might be dead and not being able to find her alive for Dylan, he doesn't know what is he going to do if he has to tell him that his mother is in a better place and less wants to think about what might happen after that. Dylan can't stay with them, his dad wouldn't just take care of a kid he doesn't from anywhere and he will want to bring him to child services. Stiles can't adopt him because he is underage and of course he can't hide him forever in his room, which means he has only one option.
He doesn't know his father. Shit.
After hearing this Stiles sighs and focuses on the video game they are playing because Dylan is kicking his ass and chuckles, he likes his company, it's like the little brother he never had and now that Scott is gone for good from his life is the only brother he has at all…If there only…If there only were a way to keep Dylan with him, to be a real brother for him. Everything would be easier, though of course they still need to survive the werewolf apocalypse. Maybe is time to leave the town as Derek told him last week.
He have been thinking about Dylan's skills too and the possibility it might be a trap, but…They have been alone for hours, if he is an evil werewolf he had a lot of chances to kill Stiles already. He tried though, to see if he has some of the werewolves' abilities. He whispered to him some times softly and he didn't make out what he said, he made asked him if he knew what he was cooking while he was downstairs but he said he didn't smell anything and when he asked if he could help him move the bed, he tried hard but nothing happened. He is not a werewolf, or at least born werewolves don't develop their powers until puberty. He should ask Derek about it but he better not…He doesn't want to talk to him, not after he left clear that Stiles was useless to them.
He is calling!
Stiles stares at his phone blinking and his heart gives a lurch. "De…Derek? What happened? Is everything okay? Did something happen to Scott?
He hears a chuckle at the other side of the line. Bastard.
"No, everything is fine" His deep voice replies sternly.
"Then what do you want?" Stiles asks getting out of bed and walking to the door to not disturb Dylan while he plays.
"I was just asking myself why you aren't bothering us as usual" Says with a snarky tone.
What? Is this for real? He got to be kidding, after all the shit they all said to him the other day.
"What's your problem? You told me I was useless for the pack"
"I just want to make sure you're trying to get yourself killed" Derek replies in a grunt.
"Well, no, thanks for asking, I got very clear that there is no place for me in the pack so if you excuse…"
"Did you try the perfumes?"
He frowns. "What are you talking about?"
Derek sighs deeply and Stiles shivers setting his jaw. "Scott was supposed to give you some perfumes to try if one of them was able to hide your scent"
"Scott doesn't talk to me" Stiles reminds him gritting his teeth.
"He said he was going to do it"
"Stiles I'm hungry"
Again? Damn! That boy must have a monster in the stomach.
"Who's t…" Derek starts but Stiles cuts him off.
"Um…I gotta go" Says awkwardly cutting the call. Is weird, he thinks this is the first time they have a conversation that doesn't involve someone being nearly dead.
He turns on his heels. "What would you like to eat now?" Asks with a smirk on his face.
He could get use to this. He loves cooking after all.
….
He wakes up in the middle of the nothing, in darkness itself. Here is where everything ends. He can feel it. He will die inside this room and everything will be lost.
No, he can't allow that to happen. He needs to survive, he can't leave Allison alone, he needs to fight, he is Christopher Argent, feared for thousands and respected from many others. He is a legend and needs to prove that to himself one more time.
He should have choke with his blood when he fainted, but it didn't happen. It must be sign, he can do this.
Clumsily rolls on his back cursing his throbbing head and the disgusting taste of blood in his mouth and kneels, the hunger is killing him. He is powerless. Killing a bipedalist is hard, he doesn't want to think that as soon as he comes out he will have to murder five at the same time. He needs an strategy, he needs to think in something but…This darkness is consuming him, at least they were arguing hours ago but now…This must be how being dead feels.
He is afraid, he is tired and confused, is he alive? As far as he knows he might have been inside this emptiness for years now, he lost the notion of time a while ago.
He is losing it, at this rate he will become insane.
Focus He tells himself. Damn it! If he could only bind again, a light, a single fire would make the difference but this void will be his end.
Chaos.
He just heard a struck, a big thud and something like wood breaking. Snarls, furious yells and steps.
He jolts with his chest throbbing and manages to gather some strength to stand and tumble around looking for the door again, when his fingers brush the raw and cold metal slab he sighs with relief and plasters his ear against it.
"You don't know what you're talking about!" A furious voice says. "They will come for us"
"They don't give a shit about us, if they cared they would have come for us" Someone replies with despise.
"You need to calm down"
"You won't tell me what to do! I'm older than any of you! I could take you down with a blink"
There is a loud snort. "I would love to see that, old man"
"I'm tired of this damn forest! It's driving me crazy! I need to do something"
"And killing him will make you feel better? If you kill him we're fucked up, they won't get us out of here. Marcus was clear, he wants Argent alive"
"Open your eyes Vernon! If they really wanted us out they wouldn't send us here in the first place! They should have come already!"
"They don't know we have him! My phone died! I told you"
"Then we're on our own until they realized that something happened to us, or they kill the binder who casted this, it's fair that we have some fun with him until he comes back"
"I'll not leave you do that!" The voice of the she wolf that got him says menacingly. "He is our only chance to get out of here, if he dies they will kill us all"
The other voice snorts. "And what are you going to do then Deborah? Kill me? I would love to see that"
A growl and then another.
There are some crashes and the nose of a heavy object being pulled on the floor.
"Come back here!"
"I'm gonna kill you!"
There are angry steps now, that feel near and near with every second that passes.
"He is right!" A voice announces. "They won't come, we're here on our own"
"Yeah! He almost killed me years ago" Erica's voice says with despise. "Fuck Marcus and Damien, I want to chop off his head with my own hands"
More screams and thuds.
They are here!
Chris steps back at the moment they hammer the door leaving behind a deafening metallic sound, yet, it doesn't slid open.
"I'm gonna kill you" A muffled voice says.
"Look out, behind you"
There's a moan of pain and then nothing. It all fades.
They will come for him, it is just matter of minutes. He needs to find something to defend himself. He turns on his heels and throws himself on the floor sweeping the black floor with his hands in search of something that could save his life.
….
She stops her car behind Uncle Jeremy's and quickly climbs down to follow him inside. At first she was afraid someone might see them and think wrong but when she is about to get inside looks around and gets shocked by the view. The street is completely empty and now that she thinks about it, she didn't see much people in the street in their way here. Everything is upside down and the citizens know it. It just matter of time before hell begins.
They come inside. Allison feels her chest throbbing and she is a little dizzy, anxiety is taking over her with every step.
"Are you okay? Would like to drink something?" He says thoughtful.
Drink something? It could be a good idea. She needs to calm her nerves.
"I have coke" He suggest.
"I want something stronger" She replies sternly.
"You're minor" He reminds her with start look. "An I'm you're teacher"
"I'm just about to listen the story of how I died, I think this is the least you could do for me" She chuckles.
He chugs. "Alright"
He disappears in the kitchen for a couple of minutes and then comes back with two glasses filled with a brown liquid that Allison recognizes as whiskey as soon as she haves her first drink.
"Now tell me what's going on" She almost begs though she tries to do her best to pretend she is fine.
He glances down setting his jaw. "Are you sure you want to hear this? Maybe we should look for your dad first and then he can tell you himself"
She shakes her head. "No, I won't help you until I get some answers"
"It seems fair, you better prepare yourself"
"I am" She affirms.
They both take another sip from their glasses and Allison thanks the warmness of her drink and its power to calm her nerves, she is feeling a little better now.
"It all started when your parents got married" He starts with deep voice. "I remember how happy they looked, my youngest carried the rings in the wedding, everyone was happy"
"What this has to do with the fact that I supposedly died?" She asks angrily sipping a larger amount this time.
"Everything, because as soon as they were married people started talking about children, and how powerful would be a kid of them both"
Allison frowns.
"Didn't you dad tell you how strong your mom was?"
Allison sighs. "Actually he kept it all in secret for me until a couple of months ago" She explains with sadness.
"That is impossible" He accuses. "I saw you binding when you were just a toddler, you could make sparks fly with just a breath and now what you did with all this clouds… You have to be trained…Kids in the STCU are taught for years and years and I'm sure that none graduated binder can do what you do without help"
This again. "I'm telling you! I don't know what you're talking about! It wasn't me!" She shouts furiously.
A thunder cracks and the whole room lights up for a half a second.
"What did you say?" He snorts.
Allison scoots blinking, this is not possible… How? How she can do it?
She has another drink, this is too much, she finishes it in a one gulp and now Uncle Jeremy goes to bring the bottle from the kitchen to pour her some more.
"As I was saying, everyone was excited about your birth and you didn't disappoint anyone, anyone could feel how strong your will was"
She looks around trying to understand how is that she doesn't remember any of that and then she realizes that she couldn't. She was just a baby.
"Everything changed a couple months after your fourth birthday"
"What? Happened?"
"I've been telling you just your part of the story so far, but there are other things that need to be addressed too" He explains to later clear his throat. "If your dad hid from you everything relate to who you are then I guess you don't know your mom was a very good and loved woman and she had strong ideals, ideals she would die for"
She doesn't like how this sounds.
"She believed that Binders and supernatural creatures could live in peace, she thought that they were like us, with feelings and rationing. She had a she-wolf as a friend for many years, they were very close and they worked together in comities and events to bring the supernaturals and binders together, after all she used to say that Binders are called that way because they are what joint the woman world with the unnatural"
Wow! She didn't know that! Suddenly she feels so proud about her mom and sadder she doesn't remember her.
"What happened then?"
"Your mom's friend died giving in birth her seventh son, for Binders the number seventh means good luck, everyone thought that after this boy was born a new ear was about to start, but when she died your mom fell in a strong depression she wouldn't stop blaming herself, and more when she found out some reports that said that her friend attempted to have these seventh werewolves to start a war, with the seventh on their side they would be unstoppable"
Allison gasps.
"She left the town for a while, and she came back she was pregnant with you, meanwhile, this boy who murdered his mom grew in shame and disgrace, they said he was curse sent to them from the STCU to kill his mother, a trap to put an end to the rebellion they were plotting, he was traitor and everyone hated him"
Poor kid. She thinks with sadness.
"After you were born your mom tried to reach her friend's family again, hoping she could fine the love and compression she one has in that place in the past and she did…Or that's what she thought"
Allison glances down holding back her tears and taking another sip.
"When you were four, your mother was invited along with you to a party, one of the seventh's birthday or something like it I can't remember. Since she trusted blindly in them she didn't refuse, many members of the STCU warned her, told her that they have been spying the pack for months and discovered that it was a trap to murder her"
Allison holds her breath. It was that night, the night everything changed.
"They were wrong"
"What? What do you mean?"
"They didn't tell the boy to kill your mom, they sent him to kill you"
Allison's heart skips a beat and she chokes with her drink. No! This is not possible! It isn't possible! It was her mom! It was her mom who…
"This boy Derek or Daryl, I don't remember his name was told to murder you, they promised him that if he killed you he would prove that he was trustworthy and not just an abomination sent by the gods to curse them"
Derek…Derek…It has always been him over and over again, like a shadow lurking in every corner.
"He came after you both and your dad found the bodies"
"No! It can't be true! I'm alive! I didn't die"
He nods. "Your dad said you both died and then he vanished!"
"But the newspapers didn't mention anything about me" She says thoughtful.
"Maybe he was planning to come back with you someday" He says thoughtful.
"I don't get it" Allison cries feeling the fear climbing to her chest while she makes her best to hold back her tears. "Why he didn't tell anyone?"
"Maybe he just wanted to protect you, to keep you safe from all this"
"Protect me from Derek right?"
"He wouldn't rest until he found me and killed me to prove those monsters that he was one of them, he was willing to murder a kid just to be accepted"
"Allison…"
She stands. "Let's go! I think I know where my dad is, and after we found him I'm gonna kill Derek"
Another thunder cracks and its light lasts for almost full ten seconds.
This is it .
….
There is bed in the room, it is broken but…One of the legs will be useful to keep himself safe.
Yanks it away with a last of his strength and falls on his back feeling a shot of pain and adrenaline running through his body. Outside the room the screams and growls resume. They are fighting against each other for supremacy and the right to murder him.
He will them reasons to scram.
He approaches the door, one of the ends of the bed's leg is flat and it could work perfectly as a lever.
He introduces it between the doorway and the side of the metal slab, he prepares himself to pull but before he has chance to try the door swims open by itself.
Light baths the room accompanied by the intense flaring of a thunder that just cracks and makes him shiver.
Deborah is standing in the doorway, her eyes fixed on him in a blank expression.
He rises the bar and lumbers.
She takes it in a flick of her wrist and throws it away.
Chris scoots cursing, damn it! What is he going to do now?
She grabs him by the arm and quickly looks around and then starts dragging him out of the room. He fights and tries to break free but she is too strong and he has no strength.
She is bringing him to them, to the place where the fight is taking place, as a prize for the winning team perhaps.
Another thunder and now the lights are out. They are in complete darkness. She stops to a halt and cranes her neck in all directions and then starts running dragging Chris with her.
Upstairs the screams and thuds are harder and harder.
They stumble with a couch.
Chris keeps trying to step back while he looks for a weapon in the room with his hands.
A fork.
He stabs her in the sides. She squeals and digs her sharp and large claws in his arm kicks a door and throws him out.
Chris stumbles and falls in murky and soft ground. Rain falls upon him furiously, is a downpour. He looks up and meets his eyes with hers.
She looks away and turns toward the Cabin.
"Help! He escaped! I tried to stop him but he hurt me!" She screams and then closes the door and runaways from the place.
Chris hears angry steps climbing steps down. He stands dashes. They won't be able to find him that easily with the rain. She saved him!
Why?