Previously on THE GREEN EYED GIRL: Derek glared at the two of them. Derek knew what she could do and didn't try to move. Suddenly, a loud hiss broke the tense silence, and they all looked in the direction of where it came from, and on the roof of Scott's house was the kanima.
Kinley heard Scott whisper, "It's Jackson."
The Kanina launched itself off the roof and ran off into the darkness. After it disappeared, Lydia ran out of the house. "What the hell is going on!?" She yelled.
No one had any good answers for her. Derek then took off running to go after the kanima. Kinley started to run after Derek, but Scott grabbed her arm.
"Wait." Scott said.
"We can't just let him kill Jackson," Allison whispered.
"I know." Scott replied and let go of Kinley's arm. He then started pacing.
"We have to go after him too." Kinley told with a sense of urgency. They didn't have time to plan, they had to go.
"Is anyone going to answer my question?" Lydia asked.
"One minute, Lydia." Allison told her sternly, and Lydia went to sit on the steps of Scott's house.
"I say Stiles drives Kinley and I after the Kanima, and Allison you take Lydia home." Scott suggested. "Stiles has the most heavy duty car and Lydia trusts you the most, Allison. You have to explain this to her without revealing anything." He told her.
"Fine," Allison conceded but did not sound at all happy. "But don't think you can keep me from every fight. Lydia, c'mon, I'm taking you home." She told her and Lydia got up and followed Allison.
The other three got into Stiles' jeep and followed Derek's scent to find the kanima. The group weaved through the streets following Derek's path, but they weren't finding Derek or Jackson anywhere. They drove all the way up to the factory district by the highway and still nothing.
Stiles suddenly slammed on the brakes and stopped. Kinley looked and saw a strip of spikes across the road. To Scott and Stiles, that meant they almost ruined Stiles' car; to Kinley that meant the Argents were nearby. They must have heard or seen something to make them begin setting traps.
"You better get out and run-" Stiles said, but Scott was already gone before he finished the statement. Stiles backed up and tried to find another way around. They weren't having any luck. As he drove, Kinley heard multiple gunshots and a loud cry from a creature, most likely the kanima. They were close. There seemed to be no route to get the car in so Kinley told Stiles to stop.
"I'm going on foot. Keep trying to find a way in or get the car in a safe place for us to meet you." She told him and then ran off before he could tell her no.
She climbed the fence that was currently blocking their way and jumped down to ground on the other side. Stiles flashed his lights a few times and then she heard him back out and drive off. She ran to where she heard the high pitched roar of the kanima. As she ran, she saw a light up ahead. It was blinding. She got closer and saw they were SUV headlights. She then heard a gunshot and ducked. Before she could get back up, a hand grabbed the back of her jacket and pulled her up. It was Gerard holding her.
"Of course, a Wesson is here. Why am I not surprised." He said and then slammed her into a nearby Pillar. The back of her head smacked the pillar and started to throb. "See, I thought we had an understanding from that day in my office. We need to play by the same rules."
"I don't know what rules, I've broken." She choked out. Gerard's hand was now around her throat.
Gerard laughed. "I think working with the things we hunt is a very big rule you've broken or were you not here with Scott McCall and his little friend Stiles?"
"Stiles has nothing to do with this." She told him and struggled, but his grip was too tough to wriggle out of.
"Oh, we've hit a sore spot have we." Gerard replied. "It's good to know the Wesson has one." Each time he said her last name it sounded like acid on his tongue. It burned with a hatred Kinley didn't fully understand.
"Let her go." Kinley heard a low voice say. She couldn't see who it was because the headlights of the SUV made him appear in silhouette. The man then stepped out of the light and revealed himself. It was Chris Argent. "She has broken no laws." He said in a monotone voice.
"Chris it is only a matter of time." He told his son.
"Then will we deal with it when the time comes, but for now, she is free. Let her go." Chris said again. Chris nodded to his father to come back to the SUV and most likely continue their search. Gerard still had his grip tight on Kinley. She really didn't think he was going to release her that easily.
"Watch your step, I'll be waiting." Gerard threatened and then let her drop to the hard floor. She fell to the ground, panting and felt her neck. It was sore from Gerard's hold on it. She watched Gerard follow Chris and disappear as the SUV drove off.
Kinley had now completely lost all sense of where the kanima could be. She headed back to main street to look for Stiles and Scott. As she walked out of the factory district, she came upon a dance club. It was a large brick building with a neon sign that read, "The Jungle." There was a long line out front and techno music blasting from the door. She headed toward it and saw Stiles and Scott in the alley next to the club. They were standing just far enough in the alley to be hidden, but they could still see the front door of the club.
"Hey!" She said when she reached them, and they jumped.
Stiles then gave her concerned look and stared at her neck. "What happened?" He asked and placed a finger on her throat. She shivered at the touch.
"Oh, it's nothing. I just ran into Gerard. He made me lose Jackson. What's going on here?" She asked and tried to ignore the tingling feeling that Stiles left on her neck.
"We lost him too." Scott replied.
"You couldn't catch his scent?" She asked him.
"I don't think he has one." Scott replied.
Well there went that idea, Kinley thought. She hoped that even if Scott lost Jackson too, they would still be able to pick up his trail quickly with Scott's werewolf skills, but that was apparently not going to happen. They were back to square one.
"All right, any clue where he's going?" Asked Stiles.
"To kill someone." Scott responded and sounded frustrated. Kinley could see Scott's stress all over his face. He was letting all of this responsibility sit on him and it was crushing him.
"Ah, that explains the claws, and the the fangs, and all that. Makes perfect sense now." Stiles responded sarcastically. Scott was not in the mood for Stiles antics at the moment. He gave him a 'are you serious' kind of look. "What?" Stiles asked. "I'm 147 pounds of pale and fragile bone, okay? Sarcasm is my only defense." Stiles replied.
Scott just rolled his eyes and said, "Just help me find it."
"Not 'it,' Jackson." Kinley reminded him.
"Yeah, I know, I-I know." Scott replied.
"Now does he know that?" Stiles asked.
It took Kinley a second to understand what Stiles question meant. It was actually a good question. They had no idea whether Jackson knew that he was the kanima the whole time and was lying to them; or if Jackson had no idea that he was the kanima and was not killing people on purpose.
"I mean, I don't think so, but he already passed Derek's test." Scott replied.
"Yeah, that's the thing. How did he pass the test?' Stiles asked.
Stiles was really showing his true investigative powers tonight. The best way to get the answers you need to solve a problem is to ask the right questions and Stiles was doing just that.
"I don't know." Scott replied.
"Maybe it's like an either/or thing?" Stiles suggested.
"Right." Kinley caught on to Stiles' train of thought. "When is the kanima not the kanima?" Kinley asked Scott, so he would understand where Stiles was going with this.
Clarity dawned on Scott's face. "When it's Jackson." Scott stated.
"Exactly. So he has no clue what he's doing most likely." She told Scott.
"Ah, guys." Stiles said and was looking up at the roof of the dance club.
Both Kinley and Scott backed up to see what Stiles was now looking at.
"See that?" Stiles asked.
They all saw it. It was Jackson as the kanima slithering his way into the club. Kinley just saw the tip of his tail and it disappeared into the club.
"He's inside." Scott stated.
"Obviously." Stiles replied. "What's he gonna to do in there?"
Scott's eyes went wide and he said, "I know who he's after."
"What, how?" Stiles asked. "Did you smell something?"
"Armani." Scott stated and Kinley had no idea what he was talking about.
"Armani?" Kinley questioned.
Scott then pointed to the front of the line to the dance club. There was Danny showing a fake ID and walking into the club. Jackson was after Danny. But why? Danny was one of Jackson best friends. Why would he want to hurt him? That didn't make any sense.
"We have to get inside." She told them.
They turned away from the front door and headed down the alley to find a back entrance. Stiles went up to the back door and tried to pull it open. It was locked.
"Aw c'mon." Stiles yelled at the door. Stiles then stepped away and began to look around the alley for other ways in. "All right, maybe there's, like, a, uh-like, a window we could climb through or some kind of…" Stiles was thinking out loud.
As Stiles was figuring things out, Scott just walked up to the door and ripped the handle right off. He tapped on Stiles shoulder and handed the door handle.
"...Handle that we could rip off with supernatural strength." Stiles finished his ramblings. "How did I not think of that one." He commented and then followed Scott inside. Kinley followed after Stiles.
The club was obnoxiously loud and packed to the brim with people. There were buff shirtless men dancing on tables, and drag queens dancing the night away. The club had all sorts of smart lights flashing different colors and fog machines to add to the insanity of the place. There were also all sizes of disco balls hanging from the ceiling. Just being in the room made Kinley dizzy with the amount of activity that was happening around her.
"Dude, everyone in here is a dude." Scott yelled over the loud techno music. "I think we're in a gay club."
"Man, nothin' gets passed those keen werewolf senses, huh Scott?" Stiles replied as a guy walked by him and stroked the back of his neck. Stiles jumped and then gave the guy a weak smile. Kinley giggled and then stopped quickly when Scott nodded his head toward the bar.
Danny was at the bar buying a drink. He seemed to be alone. All three of them made their way over to him. It was tough getting through the crowd of people. By the time they got there, Danny was already gone. They looked around to see where he was, but they had lost all sight of him. They better blend in.
"Beer, please." Kinley told the bartender.
"ID." He replied.
Kinley fished in her pocket and pulled out her wallet. She rifled through a few IDs before she found the one that said she was over 21. She handed it to the bartender. He glanced at it for a second and handed it back to her. Then he went to the fridge pulled out a beer, opened it, and handed it to her.
"That will be 4.25." The bartender told her. She handed him 6 and told him to keep it.
"And you two?" The bartender asked Scott and Stiles.
"Yeah, a beer too please." Stiles told the bartender.
"Same." Scott added just after Stiles.
"IDs, please."
The boys got their IDs and put them on the table. The bartender didn't even pick them up, he just looked at them.
"How about 2 cokes?" He told the boys.
"Rum and coke, sure." Stiles replied as he nodded his head to the music to look like he fit in. Kinley rolled her eyes.
Once the bartender knows, just listen to him, she wanted to yell at the boys. They're both lucky he didn't take their IDs away. The bartender just stared at Stiles with an annoyed look on his face.
"Sure. Coke's fine, actually. I'm driving anyway." Stiles added and then quickly picked his ID off the counter.
The bartender poured two cokes for the boys and Stiles turned to face Kinley. Kinley just smiled and took another sip of her beer.
"Oh shut up." He told her
"What? I didn't say anything. I just have a better I.D. than you do." She replied.
She showed Stiles her I.D. which was picture perfect. She had been watching her uncle make fake badges all her life. She picked up a few tricks. Her uncle knew that she knew how to make the I.D.s but would still kill her for having one. She rarely used it, but it did come in handy when the suspect ducked into a bar. After all, being seventeen and working this type of job meant breaking the law now and again.
"Well, fine." Stiles replied in a huff.
"I'll get some for you and Scott later." She consoled him. "For now enjoy your cokes."
Scott then turned toward them and had a goofy smile on his face.
"What?" Stiles asked him and seemed annoyed with Scott too.
"My drink was free." He told them and then nodded to a young man down the bar.
Stiles groaned and sucked down his coke. "Okay, where's Danny?" Stiles asked them, getting them back on track.
They looked around the club for any sign of the kid. None of them had any luck. As they scanned the room, something on the ceiling caught Kinley's eye. She grabbed Scott's shoulder and and pointed to Jackson who was currently crawling on the ceiling above the main dance floor of the club.
"You two get Danny." Scott said.
"And what about you?" Kinley asked.
He just showed his werewolf claws and then headed into the chaotic dance floor toward Jackson.
"Works for me." Stiles said. "Split up to find Danny?" He asked Kinley.
Kinley nodded and headed right while Stiles headed left. One of them was bound to find Danny and get him out of here. Kinley pushed her way through people on the dance floor. At least this was a gay club, so no guy was trying to grab her ass. She yelled Danny's name as she walked through the crowd. She was getting no answer. Of course, she was lucky if the person in front of her heard what she said since the music was so loud. Kinley finally caught sight of him and pushed her way to him. Just then the smoke machine blasted and she lost sight of him again. She moved forward some more and then tripped over something. She knelt down to see what it was. It was a person. Their eyes were moving frantically but their body was still. They were paralyzed and that meant Jackson was nearby. She stood back up and looked around. The fog was clearing and she could see more and more people falling onto the floor. She scanned over the bodies and saw Danny lying on the floor not too far away. She ran to him.
"Hey, hey." She told him and he looked at her. "You're gonna be fine." Stiles then came up behind her. She turned to him and told him to make sure someone called the police and then to meet her back at the parking lot. He nodded and pulled out his phone to dial 911.
Kinley stood up and looked for Scott. She found him walking out the back door which led to the loading bay and parking lot. She ran toward it and walked out.
Outside, she didn't see Scott, but she saw a trail of black blood leading from the door out to the parking lot. She followed it and saw Scott crouched down next to something. As she got closer, she saw it was Jackson unconscious and bleeding on the ground. Scott must have heard her walking and turned to face her.
"What happened?" She asked.
"Derek." He replied. "He was in the club and got to Jackson before I could stop him."
Kinley looked closer at Jackson and saw there were claw marks across him abdomen. At least, it looked like they were healing.
"I think he's gonna be fine. Since Derek's an alpha it'll just take longer for him to heal just like when Derek hit you." She explained.
Scott breathed a sigh of relief. "What do we do now?" He asked and then Stiles walked up.
"Stiles, go get your jeep. We'll put him in the back and keep him there for now. We'll have to find something stronger to hold him later. We can't let him out until we figure out how to make him not a homicidal monster." Kinley told the two of them.
"Good. One problem at a time. Let's get him out of here and then we'll decide where to go." Scott replied.
Stiles left to get his jeep and returned a few minutes later. It took all three of them to load Jackson into the car. The man was all muscle and really heavy. They laid him across the back and and threw a random blanket Stiles had over him since Jackson was stark naked. Then they all piled into the jeep. Stiles and Scott were up front and Kinley was shoved in the back with Jackson. They started toward their next destination, and they passed the front of the club. The area around the club entrance was complete chaos. There were cops everywhere, and several ambulances. Stiles ducked down as they drove by. Stiles was trying to slyly drive passed when Scott told them to stop the car.
"I need to talk to Danny." He told them and jumped out of the car.
"We don't have time-" Kinley started, but it was too late. Scott was long gone. "Hey, Stiles do you have any tape or anything up there?" She asked him.
She was dressing Jackson wounds. She knew they would heal soon, but she didn't want anything to get worse before it got better. She had gauze, but her kit seemed to be out of tape. Stiles rifled through his glove compartment and found some scotch tape. He handed it back to her.
"How is he?" Stiles asked.
"He's fine. He should be good as new by tomorrow. Well, his wounds will be. He might go nuts when we tell him what's going on." She replied.
"Well, it's Jackson, stable is the best we can expect." Stiles said and then looked up at her. "How are you by the way? Your neck still okay?" He asked.
"Oh yeah, that's nothing. It was just your usual death threat from the Argents. If I don't get one every couple days I begin to worry." She replied and laughed.
"Are you sure they aren't going to hurt you? Maybe Allison could talk to them or…" Stiles began but Kinley cut him off.
"I have it under control, Stiles. You don't have to worry about me...at least not when it concerns them." She explained and probably said it a little too forcefully.
"Fine, fine. I was just checking in." He replied.
Scott then got back in the car. "Couldn't get anything out of Danny." He told them.
"Okay can we just get the hell outta here now, before one of my dad's deputies sees me?" Stiles asked. And just as he said those words, sirens blared and the Sheriff's car pulled in. "Oh, my god. Oh, my god." Stiles started repeating and sinking lower into the drivers seat of the car. "Could this get any worse?" He asked.
Then Jackson started to sit up and moan. "Shh, Jackson." Kinley whispered.
"That was rhetorical!" Stiles shouted at Jackson.
"Get rid of him." Scott told Stiles and gestured to Stiles' Dad.
"Get rid of him?" Stiles repeated back. "We're at a crime scene, and he's the sheriff." He explained.
"Do something!" Scott urged.
Stiles flailed for a moment, trying to think of something to do and then just gave up and got out of the car. Really, he kind of fell out of the car. He seemed to have lost all control of his limbs.
Jackson then began to sit up. "What's goin' on?" He mumbled.
"Jackson, Jackson, be quiet." Kinley whispered and tried to push him back down, but he was refusing to lay back down. Scott turned to help and they both pushed him back down.
"What're you doing here?" Jackson asked still half asleep and continue to try and sit up. Scott and Kinley finally got him to lay back down after a minute of shoving, but it lasted for about 30 seconds. "What's happening?" Jackson mumbled.
"I'm sorry Jackson," Kinley said and then punched him the face, and he fell like brick back down on the seat. She looked forward and saw Scott waving at the Sheriff, and she smiled and waved too. They were so dead she thought. Then a minute later Stiles ran back to the car and they took off.
"That was close." Stiles said as he shut the driver's side door. He then pulled out of the parking lot as fast as he could and drove in the opposite direction of his father.
"So, now where?" Kinley asked as they drove with no actual destination.
"Uh what about Scott's house?" Stiles suggested.
"Not with my mom there." Scott replied. "We need to take him somewhere, where we can hold him long enough to figure out what to do with him. Or long enough to convince him, he's dangerous." Scott explained.
"I still say we kill him" Stiles offered.
"We're not killing him." Kinley said from the backseat.
"God, fine, okay." Stiles replied, sounding extremely frustrated.
They all thought for a moment, but Kinley had no idea where to store a homicidal creature.
"Okay, okay, I got an idea." Stiles told them.
Scott looked at him with apprehension. "Does this idea involve breaking the law."
"By now, don't you think that's a given." Stiles replied.
"I was just trying to be optimistic." Scott told him
"Don't bother." Stiles told him and then Stiles took a sharp right turn, and they looked like they were headed to the police station.
"So what's the plan?" She asked.
"To break into sheriff department's lot and steal one of their prisoner transport vans."
"Okay, we have officially reached a new level of law breaking." She replied.
"Movin' up in the world." Stiles commented.
"That's one way to put it." Scott said and sounded queasy in the front seat.
A few minutes later, the three teenagers pulled in front of a large gate that led to the parking gate was chained and padlocked closed with barb wire running across the top. Beyond the gate was a large amount of cars. This was where any vehicle the police might have acquired would be. It held anything from police squad cars to cars being used as evidence like Stiles' Jeep was. It was a pretty big lot. The far back corner was where the transport vans were located according to Stiles. But first they had to get passed the padlock.
"Can you pick that?" Stiles asked.
"Probably, but bolt cutters would be easier." She replied. "It might take a while."
"We don't have a while." Stiles muttered. "Hold on. I'm gonna try and get my dad's spare keys from his office. He might have the set for these." Stiles ran off and didn't come back for a few minutes.
"I can't believe we're doing this." Scott said and he kept looking around anxiously.
"Got any better ideas?" She asked.
"No, but by the end of this, we will have stolen police property and kidnapped a minor."
"Well, at least were minors too. We'll be out by the time were 18...probably." She said and tried to make it sound funny, but Scott was not in the mood to be amused right now. "Look, we have to do this. The consequences to everyone else is much worse than what could happen to us if we get caught."
"I know. I just wanted to state the fact that this is ridiculously stupid." Scott told her.
"I get it and we know. This is not going to end well." Kinley looked around for Stiles and then heard quick footsteps.
Luckily, it was Stiles, and thankfully, he had keys in hand.
"He thinks I don't know the combination to his wall safe and thank god for that. Also, grabbed the keys to one of the vans" He told them and then opened the parking lot gate. Stiles pushed the gate wide enough to allow the jeep to get through.
"I could have hot wired the van." Kinley told them as they walked back to the jeep.
"I figured as much but thought this would be easier." He told her.
"It is." she replied.
It was funny that none of her, for lack of better words, weird talents, surprised him anymore. If she had told him two weeks ago she could hot wire a car, he would have given her stunned expression. Now, he really knew her and had the same reactions as Penn or her Uncle. Scott however, still looked pretty stunned.
They all got in the jeep and drove it up to the transit vans. It took all three of them again to unload Jackson from the Jeep and re-loa him into the transport van. Stiles handcuffed Jackson in and then hopped out of the van.
"Okay, so I say we take him to the middle of the woods for now and decide what to do with him when he wakes up." Stiles suggested.
"Okay, who is driving what?" Kinley asked.
"I'll take the van and Scott, follow me in the jeep. Kinley pick a car." Stiles told them.
Scott nodded and Stiles threw him the keys to the jeep. Kinley hopped in the van with Stiles, which they all expected her to do. They left the lot, and Stiles re-locked the gate before they left, and then they headed to the nearest road that could take them into the forest. Scott called them and told them to follow him. He said he knew a good spot where no one would find them. It was where he had been secretly meeting Allison. So Stiles and Kinley followed the Jeep when they entered the forest. They drove for around 10 minutes before Scott stopped the Jeep and got out. He walked up to Stiles' window.
"This is it. We should be safe here." Scott told them.
"Okay, but now we need a plan for the next at least 24 hours. We have to keep him safe and not let people know he's missing." Kinley told them
"His phone's probably at your house, Scott." Stiles replied. "He changed there. He was up talking to Lydia when it happened. We can text his parents and let them know he's somewhere."
"Okay, I'll run back to my house and get his stuff. You guys stay here and watch him until I get back."
"But what about after that?" Kinley asked. "Someone is gonna need to be here all day tomorrow and that can't be you, Scott. Gerard is too suspicious as it is. I probably shouldn't either. Gerard is not much happier with me." She said.
Scott and Kinley looked at Stiles. "Dammit!" Stiles said. "Fine, I'll stay here tomorrow. Hopefully, my dad won't ask any questions. But get Jackson some jeans or something. I will not be with a naked Jackson all day. Nuh uh, no way. This night has been bad enough."
"Fine." Scott told them. "I'll go get some things now and bring them back. You guys stay here until I get back." And with that, Scott ran back home. He was gone in a flash.
"I guess now we wait." Kinley said and Stiles and Kinley just looked out the dashboard of the van and waited for Scott to return.
As they sat there, Kinley realized they hadn't been alone like this in a while. They had been alone, sure, but not without some type of mission to carry out at the same time. They were always going somewhere or doing something when they were together. Most of the time it was also life threatening. It wasn't since the dance that they were just together waiting for something. Nervous apprehension was filling Kinley. She could feel butterflies in her stomach. She wasn't exactly sure why. They had been alone like this before. It had just been awhile. She shouldn't feel nervous.
She looked over at him. His hair had grown out a bit since they first met, and he looked a little more tired than energetic guy she first met. These last weeks had taken a toll on all of them. He turned and looked at her. She looked in his eyes and those were still the same. They were just as bright as the first time she saw them. His eyes looked so different from the way she saw her own. Stiles' still had this innocent, hopeful look to them. That look was stamped out of her years ago. When she looked in the mirror, her eyes were dull and lifeless. They were eyes that had seen too much and she feared Stiles' would look the same if things continued going the way they were. She desperately didn't want that to happen. She wanted him to stay this goofy, sarcastic kid as long as he could. The moment the glint went out in his eyes, it would be all over. You can't recover from that.
"Why are you staring at me?" Stiles asked her.
Kinley snapped out of her head and face forward. "Oh nothing. I was just lost in thought. That's all." she replied and hoped she wasn't blushing.
"What were you thinking about?" He asked her. He turned his body toward her and brought one leg up onto the drivers seat.
"Nothing really, just all the things that have happened in just a few short weeks. We've all changed so much in such a little amount of time." She told him.
Usually, she was the type to not even answer this question. Yes, her answer was somewhat vague, but she actually gave him an answer and not just a brush off, "oh nothing." Part of her wanted to tell him everything. She wanted to tell him that he looked a little older and that she feared that he was going to lose himself in all of this and that he should run from her and this world as quickly as possible. But a bigger part of her wasn't ready for that. She wasn't ready to be that honest, and honestly, she wasn't ready to lose him yet. She hated to admit it and she would never say it out loud but she needed him; the calm in her crazy life. The human in her supernatural world.
"I know what you mean." He answered. "The things we've seen. I know you told me that you had seen a lot during your life, but I never imagined this. I-I don't know how you do it. I've been in your shoes for just a few weeks and this has been your whole life. I mean, how do you do it?" He asked her.
"Really, I don't know. I mean for one, it's all I've ever known. There are mornings that you just don't want to wake up because you know what's out that door, but that's also the reason you get up. You get up to fight what's out there. I guess I survived this long because of Penn and my Uncle Sam. I did it for them. I knew if I kept going, they could keep going." She replied.
"So now that they're gone, what's pushing you." He asked.
"I still think they are ...in part. But I guess now it's you... Allison, Scott, even Lydia. If I get up, if I keep going, you'll be safe and that's what matters." She replied.
"It doesn't have to be all on you, you know? If you wanted to stay under the covers one day and never move, I wouldn't judge or blame you for it." He told her and grabbed her hand.
She looked at their hands together. She felt the warmth from his touch travel up her arm. Then she looked back up into the bright brown/green eyes. "I would judge and blame me. I have these skills and this knowledge and not many do. Since I can help, I have to help. That's never going to change." She explained.
"You can't take any time off? Not even just 30 seconds?" He asked her with a mischievous smirk on his face.
"Nope, not for even just 30 seconds." She replied and kept his gaze with a challenge accepted face.
"That is just no way to live." He told her and gave her an empathetic look.
"Really? How should I live then?" She asked.
He let go of her hands and placed both of them on her face. He then pulled her close and kissed her. He moved one hand from her cheek and ran it through her hair. Kinley moved her hand up to his neck and pulled herself closer to him and then brought him back closer to her. He followed and he was half on top of her in the passenger seat. He pulled away and Kinley was stunned. "You should live with at least some 30 second breaks" Stiles said and winked as he was leaning over her.
Kinley smiled and then laughed at him. "When you're right, you're right," she said and kissed him quickly.
"Wait, did Kinley Wesson, just say I, Stiles Stilinski, was right?" He joked.
Kinley punched him in the shoulder and then got back into their respective seats. "Take what you can get, my friend, because I won't say that often." She teased him.
"Oh well in that case." He said and then went to kiss her again, but there was a knock at the van window and they both jumped. It was Scott with Jackson's cellphone and some clothes.
"I went to get the pants, that means you're putting them on him." Scott yelled at Stiles from outside the window.
Stiles head fell and then he looked back up at Kinley and shook his head. Kinley just laughed at the two boys.
"We'll talk later?" Stiles asked her and placed a hand on her cheek. Kinley nodded yes in response and then gave him a gentle shove to get out of the van to deal with naked Jackson and the jeans Scott was holding. Stiles begrudgingly got out of the car and met Scott. Kinley hopped out and followed them to the back of the van.
Stiles got in the back of the van with unconscious Jackson and shut the door behind him. A few minutes later a disgusted faced Stiles hopped out of the van.
"Well wish that memory wasn't burned into my mind forever, and I am never getting that close to Jackson again." Stiles said followed by a "blech" like noise.
"Alright so Jackson is all set. Now we need to figure out patrol for at least the next day." Scott told them.
"Well, I think we decided that both Scott and I need to be at school tomorrow. Gerard is suspicious enough of me that if I go missing while Jackson is, he'll come straight for me. And Scott I'm guessing it's the same for you?" She asked him.
"Yeah, pretty much." Scott replied.
"Okay, that means Stiles, you go home now. You'll have to be awake and alert to keep an eye on Jackson all day tomorrow. Scott and I can split up the night and each get some sleep before we go to school tomorrow. Sound good?" Kinley asked.
"Should either of you guys really be here alone all night. That doesn't sound anywhere near safe." Stiles replied.
"It's not anymore dangerous at night then it will be tomorrow when you're here alone and we're at school." She argued. "Besides what other options do we have? Our pool of people is small."
"I can get Allison to help out tonight. She can be with me on my patrol" Scott said. Stiles looked at Scott with a skeptical face. "I swear, we won't get distracted." He told Stiles. Stiles nodded but his expression said he did not believe him. " but that still leaves you by yourself." Scott added as an afterthought.
"That's fine. I have done patrols at night alone a bunch of times. I can handle it. And if I scream, you'll hear me right Scott." She added as a joke, neither one of the boys laughed. "Guys, I swear it will be fine. How about I take the first patrol. It's earlier and he is less likely to be awake and cause problems. Deal?" She asked.
Both boys thought about it for a moment and then agreed, but they still didn't seem to like the idea. Stiles really didn't want to leave her alone in the middle of the woods with a kanima, but he didn't have any other options. He needed some rest before coming back and his dad needed to see his face while Jackson was missing just in case. It at least gave him somewhat of an alibi; Not a good one, but it was something.
The boys left and Kinley sat in the front of the van. She got her book bag out of Stiles' car before they left and used her time to catch up on some homework. She was just becoming more and more behind and she needed to catch up. The patrol was boring which she expected. It was too early in the night for anything to happen and she knew how hard she hit Jackson. He was not going to wake up until it was Stiles' turn to patrol. The night wore on with nothing and a few hours later Scott and Allison showed up to relieve her. She told them nothing happened and that he was still out.
The next morning on her way to school, Kinley learned that this was her best chance to see Chris Argent privately. Allison called her that morning and warned her that her mother would be substituting for their Chem. class today and that meant that Chris home alone. Of course, Mrs. Argent being at school posed problems for later, but now Kinely could use it to her advantage.
She knew going to the Argents was probably a bad idea since Stiles was not going to be at school today and neither was Jackson. But she saw her opportunity and she had to take it. She turned quickly away from school and headed toward the Argent house. She parked a little down the road and watched as Allison and Gerard left for the high school. Once the two were down the street she pulled her car in front of the Argent house and walked up to the door.
This house was always a little daunting to her. It was massive and filled with people who really weren't a fan of her or her family. So as she walked up the driveway, knots began to form in her stomach, but she ignored them. She needed to say two things to Chris Argent and she was hoping she could do both on this visit but doubted it.
She knocked on the door and shortly after Chris answered. "Kinley?" He said and looked as confused as he should have been. "Allison already left for school." He informed her.
"I know." She replied. "I'm actually here to see you."
Chris Argent crossed his arms and didn't show a sign of moving to invite her in.
"Okay," She started and was trying to get past her nerves. She decided the best way was to just be straight forward. "The main reason I wanted to talk to you was to say thank you for last night when you stepped in. I know that must have been difficult for you to, not only save me, but also stand up to your father." She explained.
"I was only following the code." He replied in a monotone voice.
"I'm sure you were, but there are a million technicalities on me right now, and I know that. You could have easily justified what Gerard was doing, but you didn't, and so I am following the code by thanking you for what you did." She told him.
He uncrossed his arms and relaxed a little tiny bit. His muscles were still tense as if he thought he might need to move at any moment.
"You said the main reason for coming to see me was to thank me, so what may I ask is your other reason...or reasons?" He asked her.
Kinley took a deep breath before speaking. She knew he was not going to react well to this. "I wanted to talk to you about my mom and how you knew her."
Chris sighed and shook his head. "Kinley, I don't think…" and then he trailed off and stared at her neck. At first she thought he was looking at her bruise from Gerard but that had healed. She then noticed his eyes moved to where her necklace hung. His eyes went wide and his mouth opened slightly in shock. Kinley could tell he was trying to hide his emotions but he was doing a poor job.
"Where did you get that?" He asked intensely and pointed to her necklace.
"Why is everyone so obsessed with the necklace. It was my mom's and now it's mine. Why is that so weird?" Kinley said, frustrated.
"No, I know it was your mom's. She never took it off, ever, but she wasn't wearing it the last time I saw her. She said she lost it. I remember thinking how weird it was that she lost it. She loved it more than she loved…" He started to say something and then stopped. "anything" Chris added to finish his thought.
"How would you know that…" Kinley started to say but then stopped. All of Chris' behavior made sense to her now. The haunted look she got from him when he first met her in the hallway, the evil stares she got from his wife, the way he was always willing to at least hear her out, and how he never actually tried to kill her. This was probably why he stepped in to save her from Gerard last night. "You loved her, didn't you? And she loved you." She stated.
"No, we're not talking about this." He said and began to shut the door, but Kinley put her hand up to stop him.
"That's what you meant by the rapid dog when we were in the hospital. 'Have you ever seen something you love turn evil before your eyes.' You were talking about my mother weren't you. You saw her go from hunter to something with more power and you hated her after that. It crushed you and you did something about it, didn't you?" She yelled at him.
"It's more complicated than that Kinley." Chris replied.
"Well, then please uncomplicate it because I would love to understand." She said.
Chris released his force on the door and Kinley let her hand down. He opened the door a little wider.
"I knew this would come back to me eventually, I was just hoping 'eventually' would be a lot later." He said and then gestured from Kinley to come in.
She followed Chris into the fancy living room where she spent most of her time during Kate's wake. The only difference in the room was the sword that Gerard admired was no longer on the wall. The thought of him having it near him somewhere, made Kinley shiver. Chris told her to take a seat on one of the couches, and then he sat opposite her.
"Now, I know you've been told by your uncle that my family is all black and white when it comes to dealing with the supernatural. I can understand where he gets that. Others say it too, but I know we weren't always this way. You know what, let's just start from the beginning. I met your mother when I was about your age, here in Beacon Hills. I knew she was something more from the moment I laid eyes on her. Of course, she hated me at first. My family had a reputation that she didn't approve of. So it wasn't until the second time our paths crossed that her mind changed. We met when a man named Deucalion wanted to change the relationship between hunter and creature. He wanted to work together toward peace and only hunt those who had done wrong and do it together like you are now."
"Isn't that what we already do?" Kinley asked.
"Sort of, but what you're doing with Scott was unheard of years ago. It's still unheard of in most circles. We may not hunt the wolves that have done nothing wrong, but we don't help them either. We only help humans. That was, and for some still is, the way. Your mother and your grandfather thought like you do. They were there for a summit between creature and hunter. Your grandfather even met with Kalia Hale, Derek's mom, to discuss it. He had built a relationship with the Hale's like you are now with Derek and Scott. He said that he would get hunters to agree with the idea of working together. So he spread the word around to a select set of hunter families to join the summit. Of those families, mine was not included. But of course, Gerard heard about it and wanted in on the action. At first, I believed Gerard wanted this. It would make everyone's lives easier. So our family came and your mother was furious. She even picked a fight with me and almost dislocated my jaw. However during the months of preparation for the summit, we got closer, and she saw that I was not like my father. That was when we fell for each other.
She was my first love. I had never met anyone like her before. She challenged me in new ways. She taught me about Celtic magic and the connections it had to the werewolves. She changed my view of the world or so I thought. However, things weren't perfect forever.
Your mother had a secret to keep that she didn't even want me to know, but as you know, a hunter is trained to detect deceit and curiosity is one of our curses. I knew she was keeping something from me, and I wanted to know what it was. She was so fiercely independent, and I feared she was in trouble and not asking for help. So the day before the summit, she gave me an evasive answer about where she was going, and I followed her. She met with a man. He was working with her on her powers.
"Who was the man she met with?" Kinley inquired.
"I never got his name. She told me he was helping her learn her gifts and that he could be trusted. He was fairly old and looked small but still formidable. He had a very dominant presence. He's not a person that one would forget easily." He told her
Kinley nodded and didn't know what to do with the information.
Chris continued the story, "After I followed her to one of her training sessions, I had no idea what she was and when I saw her use a supernatural power, I ran. Even though she had opened my eyes to a new way of thinking, I still had my family values instilled in me. I no longer trusted her. Your mother pleaded for me to understand, but I couldn't. I spent the rest of that day in a panic state, not knowing what to do. So that night I found a note she had left that said to meet her in our spot in the woods and I went. She explained everything to me about who and what she was. She told me she was one of the fae and that when she was younger she had been abandoned and the Wesson's took her in. That's why she never changed her last name. She wanted to honor the family of hunters who raised what they usually hunted."
It took Kinley a moment to realize what those last words really meant. "So that means, what? Is my family not my family?" Kinley asked and began to have a panic attack herself. This was all more than she thought she would discover.
"They're not your blood relatives, no. But they are your family, Kinley. You have to remember that." He explained.
"Did my uncle know this? Did he know that she was adopted?" Kinley asked frantically as all the information whirled in her head.
"I don't know, but I don't think he did. Your mother never said one way or the other." He answered.
"Okay…" Kinley said and tried to calm herself down. She took a deep breathe "So, what did you decide after she told you." She asked. At this point, she just wanted to get to the end of the story. The faster that happened, the faster she could process what she was told and make her heart rate go down.
"I want to tell you that I forgave her and things got better between us, but I felt so betrayed by her secret. So I told her I needed some time.
At the time, I had no idea what my father knew. But apparently, he had heard rumors about the Wesson's girl and followed me when I went to see her. He used my connection with her to find out what she was. When I got home, he confronted me about it. He told me that all supernatural creatures have the same nature and that one day, she would show me her true colors. I didn't know who to believe.
Then the summit was then upon us and my father forbid me from going. He said my judgement was compromised because of her. He had to lock me in the garage to keep me from going. When he got back, he told me they were ambushed, and that it was your mother who helped the wolves attack us. I didn't want to believe him. I went to her house to find her, but she was gone. All that was left was a note that said, 'I'm sorry.' And at the time that was enough for me to believe my father was right. I hated her for so long after that day."
Chris paused for a moment. Kinley knew this was hard for her to hear, but it seemed like it was even harder for Chris to admit. All of the guilt was written on his face, and telling this story was bringing even more of it to the surface. Kinley even felt sympathy for him.
"When I found out what really happened, that it was my father who fired first, I went to find her, but it was too late. She was with your father. It was over. She was forgiving to me and what my family did. She was like that. We remained friends until she died.
But her forgiveness never mattered. I hated myself. I thought I had watched her become some horrid creature in front of me, but really, it was the other way around. I was the one who became evil."
Chris finished the story and sat there in silence for a moment. He then looked at Kinley with his eyes full of regret and guilt. "And I am sorry for the way I have treated you, but every time I look at you, I see her and all the mistakes I made. I look at you and I'm reminded that I became the exact person I didn't want to become."
Kinley placed a hand on his knee. "You're doing better than you think." She told him. She came here ready to hate this man more than before, but she now saw Chris differently. He had potential in Kinley's mind. He knew of Gerard's control, and he knew what it could lead to. Maybe with the right influence Chris would be something more than a good attack dog for his father.
"You sound just like her. She would have told me the same thing." Chris said and then stood up making Kinley have to remove her hand from his knee. "I'm guessing you have questions now that you know the story."
"I do. If you don't mind." Chris just nodded and then waited for her questions. "She told you she was fae, but did she ever tell you what kind? Deaton says that many things fall under that 'fae' umbrella." She asked.
Chris shook his head. "I never really asked her. At the time, I was too confused to ask decent questions and later, it really didn't matter. She didn't owe me any explanations. I owed her a few." Chris answered. "Why?"
"No reason." Kinley replied.
"You have power too, don't you?" He asked.
Kinley hesitated and then just told the truth. She believed Chris had learned his lesson and wouldn't betray her. Also, he basically already knew. The lie wouldn't get her far. "I do. It just started." She replied and then something dawned on her. "Gerard guessed that I did too, didn't he? That's why he wants me dead." She stated.
"He did, but he doesn't know for sure." Chris replied. "No one knew much about your father. If he was human, you could have no powers. We don't know which half will be dominate, so until you reveal you have power, he can't do anything to you." He told her.
"So that's what was happening last night. He really thinks I have power but am keeping it hidden. He's just counting down the days until I slip up and he can take me down."
Chris just nodded solemnly. "I'm sorry."
"No, it's not your fault. It just means, I really need to learn to control it or I'm dead." She replied and then took another moment to process. "You've been a great help but I have to go. I just need to….I don't know... but something." She said and got up from the couch. She could no longer be here. With everything that Chris said, she needed time. He walked her out to the door. "Thanks again," she told him and started to walk outside.
"Kinley," Chris said and she stopped walking. "I wish I could do more, but my daughter comes first and I have to do whatever I need to in order to keep her safe, no matter what that might be." He told her and said it in a way that made her know that he would side with Gerard and kill her if it came to it to save Allison.
"I understand. I know I'm on my own in this, but thank you for being honest with me." She said and then left the Argent House.
If she went to school, she could make it for half day, but she couldn't handle anything right now let alone school with two Argents there, wanting her dead. So she just got in her car and drove. She had no particular destination in mind. She needed to time to think about all of this information.
In a matter of a couple hours, she found out that she was not related to the family she knew, that Chris Argent was in love with her mother, and that Gerard wanted her dead even more than she thought. It was a lot to deal with.
The information that hit her the hardest was the fact that she really had no family anymore. Her uncle and Penn weren't even related to her. She never really considered herself an orphan before even though she technically was. She did now though. Her parents were gone, her family wasn't her family. She felt so utterly alone in this world. Over the years, she always brushed off not having friends in her life because she always had her family, but she didn't have that now either. All she had was herself and her strive to protect those around her, that was all. All of a sudden she felt very small and weak.
As she drove, she found herself drawn to one place, to the one person who she could count on. She knew he wouldn't be home, but she knew where he would be. She headed out to the forest to find the police van. She pulled her car next to the van and didn't see Stiles. She parked and got out of the car. She looked for him but still didn't find him. As she rounded the corner of the van she saw the back door open and Stiles get out.
"Ah!" He screamed. "Geez, you scared the hell out of me." He said and then tried to catch his breath. "Hey, wait aren't you supposed to be at school? Gerard is gonna be all-" He started but then stopped talking because Kinley just hugged him and he let her put all of her weight on him. They didn't move for a minute and then she released him.
"Sorry, it's just been a long morning." She explained and then went to sit on the bumper of the car.
"Do you wanna talk about it?" He asked her.
"Not really. How's Jackson and the plan working?" She asked.
"He is tiny bit upset." He said and then Kinley heard a loud bang from the van. It was most likely Jackson hitting or kicking the side of the van to show his anger. "As you can hear." He said and gestured to the van. "But I've been texting his parents all morning, so no one should know he is missing."
"Good at least something's going right." She replied.
"So why weren't you at school this morning?" He asked her and cringed slightly, fearing what she might answer.
"Another thing I don't want to talk about. So Jackson's alive and awake with no injuries?" She asked.
"Yeah, he's fine. He's been complaining for hours so you know he's back to working order." Stiles said and sounded slightly aggravated
"Good, good." Kinley said.
"Are you sure you're okay?" Stiles asked.
"Yes, for the last time, I'm fine, and I don't want to talk about it. I swear, I'll be fine, just a long morning." She told him.
"Okay." Stiles replied skeptically. "We won't talk. We'll just sit."
And that was exactly what she wanted. Stiles leaned over and put his arm around her and she leaned her head on his shoulder. They stayed like that with Stiles periodically sending texts to Jackson's parents, keeping them updated.
Allison was the next one who showed up. She ran up to them and they sprang apart. Allison was out of breath as she began to talk to them. It was like she really did run to get here. "They know." Allison told them, panting.
"What?" Stiles asked.
"They know Jackson's missing." She told them.
"No, they can't. I've been texting his parents since last night. They don't have a clue." Stiles informed her.
"My grandfather told me his parents called the police, and they know." Allison replied.
Stiles just stared at the phone in his hand like it was covered in the most disgusting substance known to man. He was holding it just between two fingers and shaking it. "Oh…" was all that he managed to say and then shoved the phone into Allison's hands and ran to the front of the van.
Kinley followed him to the side of the van and watched him grab the police radio. The radio crackled and a message sounded over it. "All available units proceed to Beacon Hills Preserve as instructed: Proceed with caution until Sheriff Stilinski's arrival."
They all knew they had to move or they would be discovered. Kinley and Stiles got in the van with Stiles in the drivers seat. Allison took Kinley's car to go and get Scott. Stiles said he would call and tell her where they were moving the van.
"Where are we going?" Kinley asked.
"Somewhere very far from this." Stiles said and indicated Jackson's phone. They then began to drive and he threw the phone out the window.
Stiles found another secluded spot to hide the van. They were there for only about twenty minutes when Allison pulled up in Kinley's car with Scott. Scott got out of the car and gestured for them to walk away from the van and talk. Scott filled them in on his meeting with Danny. Jackson had been looking for a piece of video footage that had been erased from his camera. Danny said he had it on his ipad, but that the ipad was in his car which was still at the club. Scott went to try and find it, but he only found the car and no ipad. Scott guessed that was why Jackson was after Danny. He wanted the footage and for no one else to know about it. Also, Matt, the photographer guy who had been popping up a lot lately, was helping Danny and Jackson with the footage as well. They then began to discuss where the ipad could be.
"If Jackson doesn't remember being the kanima, he's definitely not gonna remember stealing Danny's tablet." Scott told them.
"Why would he steal the thing if he doesn't even know what's on it?" Stiles asked.
"What if someone else took it?" Allison asked.
"Then somebody else knows what he is." Kinley answered.
"Which could mean someone's protecting him." Scott said optimistically. Kinley didn't think that was the case.
"Like the bestiary says, "The Kanima seeks a friend," right?." Allison added, trying to back up Scott.
So that is what Allison found out when she took the bestiary for someone to look at. Kinley never found out what Allison learned that day. Things got a bit hectic for chit chat about the bestiary. The translation sounded off to Kinley though. Her uncle didn't talk about the kanima like that. But then again Kinley didn't remember much about the kanima and this book was what they had to go on.
"Allison can you forward me those pages. I want to look at them." She told her. Allison nodded yes and handed her the hard drive.
"Okay, hold on, so somebody watches Jackson make a video of himself turning into the Kanima, and then just erases it so he wouldn't know? Who does that?" Stiles inquired.
"Somebody who wanted to protect him." Allison said reiterating what Scott had just suggested.
"There's something else. You said the only thing you found online about the kanima is that it goes after murderers." Scott said. "What if that's actually true?" Scott asked.
"Well, no, it can't be. It tried to go after all of us that night at the pool." Kinley told him.
"Yeah, and I don't know about you guys, but I haven't murdered anybody lately. Have you?" Stiles commented.
"Well…" Kinley said and thought of the few creatures where she had the kill shot. It was only a couple, but she did end their lives to save her own.
"You don't count. It tried to kill me and I haven't killed anyone." Stiles replied.
"But I-I don't think it was actually trying to kill us." Scott said and then turned to Allison. "Remember when we were at Isaac's the first time, it just went right by us, didn't it?" Scott asked Allison.
"You're right." She realized. "It just ran off." She told them.
"It didn't kill you in the mechanics garage." Scott told Stiles.
"Well, yeah, but it tried to kill me, Kinley and Derek in the pool." Stiles replied.
"Did it?" Scott asked.
"It would've." Stiles answered. "It was waiting for us to come out."
"What if it was trying to keep you in?" Scott asked.
"Why do I feel so violated all of a sudden?" Stiles replied.
"Because, there's something else going on." Scott said.
"And we don't know what it is." Kinley added. "We don't know anything about what's going on with Jackson, or why someone's protecting him or why he is a kanima. We don't even know why I am here and know one wants to tell us anything and…" Kinley started to rant but then stopped herself. This was not the time or place to have mental breakdown moment. Everyone gave her a concerned and slighty scared look. "Sorry, you guys continue."
They all just stared at Kinley for a second more before Allison spoke. "'Know thy enemy.' Just something my grandfather said." Allison commented. She had a point. They needed more information before they proceeded. And whoever was working with Jackson was already doing just that. It was learning about them.
"Alright, I got it." Stiles said. "Kill Jackson. Problem solved."
"He risked his life for us. Against Peter, you remember that?" Scott asked.
"And he was the one who helped us get out of the hospital to get to Peter. We can't kill him. He is still a person who needs to figure out what's happening. We have to give him that chance. " Kinley argued.
"Okay, fair but what did we just find out?" Stiles asked. "He got the bite from Derek. It's funny how he just got exactly what he wanted by supposedly risking his life for us. It's funny."
"Yeah, that doesn't mean he is not worth saving." Kinley replied with an overly defensive tone, but this just kill it because it was supernatural mentality was fairly personal, and the fact that Stiles was saying it made her even more angry. She thought he was better than this, but apparently no one was. She thought of Chris' story and how he, even an experienced hunter who had known about all these supernatural beings, couldn't handle her mom's secret. Maybe Stiles couldn't either.
"It's always something with him though." Stiles replied.
"He doesn't know what he's doing!" Kinley yelled at Stiles.
"So what?" He replied.
"So I didn't either." Scott said before Kinley could keep yelling.
Kinley stepped slightly away and tried to calm herself down. Her blood was now boiling. Is this what Stiles really thought about the creatures he was around. He could accept Scott, but the moment it's someone else, they needed to die or take the blame. No, Kinley was not having any of that.
She refocused on the conversation and heard Scott asking Allison, "You remember when I almost killed you and Jackson? I had someone to stop me. He has nobody."
"That's his own fault." Stiles argued.
Kinley was seconds away from screaming that sometimes having no one is not entirely the person's own fault. Sometimes bad thigns happen and there is just no one there. But Scott kept talking and Kinley restrained herself.
"Doesn't matter." Scott told him. "If we can save him, we should try."
Stiles groaned and agreed. He walked over to Kinley. He tried to put his arm around her, most likely to comfort her since she did have a minor freak out, but she shrugged his arm off.
"It looks like you guys have this handled. I am gonna go get some rest." She told them and walked away.
"Hey, Kinley wait!" Stiles yelled after her, but she ignored him and got in her car and drove off. She spent a good amount of time just driving around, but that was making her go even more crazy. She needed to be productive. She needed to do something. So she drove to the nearest place that gave her an opportunity to work.
Deaton was the only one at the animal clinic when she arrived. She headed back and found him in his office. Her phone buzzed and she saw it was Stiles. She ignored the call and put her phone in her pocket.
"I got what you wanted." she told him. "I talked to Chris Argent today."
Deaton gestured for her to sit down. "Okay, good what did he tell you?" Deaton asked.
"A lot of things, that I will be pissed if I find out you knew." She replied and sat across from him with her arms crossed.
"Someone's had a bad day." Deaton replied mockingly.
"Yeah, I did and I would like to yell at you for some of it. So can we please focus?" She asked.
"Of course. So, did he tell you about your mother's family?" He asked.
"You knew?!" She said and was furious. She was going to have high blood pressure by the end of this day.
"But imagine me telling you that your mother was adopted and then Chris saying it wasn't true. You would hate me even else did he tell you?" He asked, keeping things on task.
"He told me that she was fae, but had no one idea what kind." She answered.
"Huh, I thought your mother might have told him or he just might have known. Your powers are some of the most highly regarded in the community. Some are even revered like Sirens. They tend to be royalty and you share some of their gifts." He replied. "I guess I need to start researching further than I have to figure you out."
"Why are my powers revered. I can just make people feel things. How is it all that powerful compared to a werewolf who can rip your throat out?" Kinley asked.
"The power to change emotion is unparalleled. You can make others feel like they have everything to fight for or nothing to fight for. What is strength without a will behind it? You are the most powerful creature to the fae." He explained.
Kinley sort of understood him, but didn't believe him. She could barely make Erica to stop panicking when she freaked out on the wall, and someone could just have easily talked her down from there. How could she be the most powerful? Of course, she would much rather learn her fire power. That's what she was good at. She was good at fighting. She had always been bad with emotions. Most of her own, she ignored.
"So are you privileged to this magical information because you are some type of advisor?" Kinley asked, still not knowing what Deaton was or how he knew these things. Usually, she wouldn't trust him, but there was something about his presence that told her, he was here to help. Also her uncle trusted him and that went a long way.
"So Chris didn't tell you that?" He replied.
"He was a fountain of information, but not about you. I really didn't even ask. The main thing I took from him was Gerard is watching me. Gerard thinks I'm just like my mother and is waiting to prove it." She told Deaton. "That's really why I came here. I have to learn to control my abilities and you said you would help me."
"I keep my promises and I was hoping to know what kind of Fae you were before this, but since you have Siren gifts, I will train you like one of them. I want to focus on the emotional manipulation power. It is the most important." Deaton replied.
"Oh, I think there is another power…" Kinley remembered and thought back to Chemistry when she shocked Erica. "I shocked a werewolf the other day on accident." She told him.
Deaton just laughed. "Of course there is a new one. You are growing more rapidly than a weed. I will add it to my list and keep researching. Maybe once all your gifts manifest, we will be able to combine to learn who you really are." Deaton replied.
"Yeah, not only what I am but who. I have no idea about either anymore. I'm surprised I'm not the kanima. I have less identity than Jackson." Kinley said.
"Did Chris say anything about your father?" Deaton asked.
"He said he really didn't know him. For all he or his family knows, my dad was just a human with no connection to the supernatural world. That's why they can't hurt me yet. No one knows what happens when Fae mix with humans. They don't know what genes will be dominate." She explained. Her phone buzzed again and she pulled it out of her pocket and checked it. She saw she had a text message from Stiles. It read, "Please talk to me." She ignored it.
"Ah huh." Deaton said and nodded. "Okay, that at least gives you a cover and having your mother's necklace helps. I did some research on it- to see if it would lead to what you were, but I didn't get very far. But it is meant as a protection charm. So far we know is protects you from mountain ash, and none of my other detective charms worked when I tried them on your mother when I met her. So as long as you have that on, no one can find out who you are unless you show them." Deaton informed her.
Kinley nodded and fiddled with the necklace a moment. "So...how are you going to train me?" She asked Deaton.
"That is the part you're probably not going to like. Sirens learn at a young age to control their gifts even when they might not have developed them yet; and they learn through song. That's where the legends come from that sirens sing. Music already has an emotional signature so when a siren sings it people begin to feel the song. What you need to learn to do is turn the signature on and off. If you don't and your power grows whatever you feel others will feel and for you vice versa if you don't put up a wall. And trust me that many emotions will make any person go mad."
"So you're going to make me sing?" She asked.
"Yes, we'll start small, just you and me. I'll pick songs that have an obvious tone and you'll project them onto me and then make them stop. Once you can do that, we'll move on to bigger groups." He explained.
"Okay, but what about my telekinetic power?" She asked.
"For now just try moving objects. Small ones at first. Eventually, you should be able to stay calm while moving larger things. That you can do on your own time. I want to focus on the emotional one now. It's a bit more important."
Her phone buzzed again and she saw it was Stiles again. She was trying not to be annoyed by him, but he just kept irritating her and she needed to be left alone. She shoved the phone back in her pocket and continued talking to Deaton.
"Someone bothering you?" Deaton asked.
"It's just Stiles." She told him.
"Be careful around him now. Remember you project feelings and absorb others. You don't want him doing something just because of how you feel about it." He warned.
The phone buzzed again, and it was still Stiles. She didn't answer again, but this time he left a voicemail. She told Deaton to giver her a minute to listen to it. If he was this insistent, something might be wrong.
"Hey, Kinley you might want to call me. Jackson escaped." Stiles voicemail stated. Kinley knew she had to go and help with this.
"Sorry, Deaton I have to go. Jackson's missing." She told him. This was the last thing they needed, she thought.
"We'll train another day. Stop by before or after school sometime and we'll start." He said.
She took a deep breath nodded and called Stiles back. Stiles explained that Allison and Scott were most likely distracted when Jackson took off. The only plan they had left to find Jackson and make sure nothing happened was for Stiles and Allison to come clean to their parents. They didn't have time to find Jackson on their own before he hurt someone. They needed help.
Kinley said she would look through the bestiary and try and figure something out to help them. She couldn't exactly track like Allison's dad could, and she didn't have the resources of the sheriff. Research was her best way of helping for now. Also this avoided a confrontation with Stiles that she didn't want to have.
Kinley felt somewhat bad for avoiding Stiles. She was also fairly short with him on the phone the entire time they were going over the plan. Chris' story just kept replaying in her head, but with her and Stiles as the stars. Stiles would find everything out about her and then go bolting the other way. It didn't matter that all the evidence pointed to the fact that he could handle it. Then again, her mother thought Chris could handle it, and that did not go well at all.
She needed to stop thinking about this and do something productive. She knew research was her best bet. She went to Lydia's to work on the bestiary. She walked into her room, put her few things on her desk, and turned on the light. She turned around and almost screamed. Lydia was sitting on her bed.
"Dammit, Lydia. You scared me. You know you have your own room." Kinley told Lydia.
"I know. I've been waiting for you for an hour." She replied.
"I don't really have time to hang out." She told the girl who looked like she hadn't had a good night sleep in weeks.
"I don't need anyone to hang out with. I need someone to talk to." Lydia explained.
Kinley really wished she was in the mood to help the girl who was letting her live in her house. But this day had been one of her worst, and she just wanted to get lost in research land and study the bestiary for something to help Jackson.
"I'm sorry Lydia, but can it wait?" She asked her.
"Why is everyone always telling me to wait? Why can't right now be available." Lydia complained and got off of Kinley's bed.
"Because you can't have everything right now. You know what I need? I need to translate pages and pages of archaic latin when I barely know two words in regular latin. How am I going to do this? I have no idea, but it gives me something productive to do which I really need right now." Kinley said.
"I know archaic latin." Lydia said.
"You know archaic latin?" Kinley questioned. Did this girl know everything?
"I got bored with classical latin." She replied like this was obviously a normal thing for a teenager to go through.
"What don't you know?" Kinley asked.
"Just show me the pages." Lydia answered and held out her hands to take them.
Kinley opened her laptop and put the flash drive in. She pulled up the pages on the kanima and watched Lydia read over it. Lydia read the pages out loud and then said something that didn't match up with what Allison had said earlier
"Are you sure? Allison said that word means 'friend.'" Kinley told Lydia. "The Kanima seeks a friend." Kinley read the passage.
"She was wrong." Lydia stated. "It means 'master.' 'The Kanima seeks a master.' Why? Is that important?" Lydia asked.
"Yeah." Kinley said and then stared at the pages. The kanima was not looking for someone to help him. The kanima was looking for someone to lead him. No one was protecting Jackson. They were controlling him. She had to tell Scott and Stiles.