Chapter 34 - Hidden Message
"Hey guys." Allison greeted as she walked up to Teagan, Isaac and Avery who were all standing outside of Teagan's car in a parking lot they agreed to meet at.
"You two…" Her voice trailed off as she looked between Avery and Teagan, who both still looked tired and weak from everything that had taken place.
"Look a lot better than they did last night." Isaac sighed as he looked between his friends.
"Any news on Lydia?" Teagan asked, trying to ignore the headache she still had from Avery getting into her mind.
"Her car was spotted here." Allison said as she handed a piece of paper to Isaac and said, "Hopefully you can pick up a scent there… or something. Maybe she even left some kind of clue."
"A clue?" Isaac asked with raised eyebrows, "She was being kidnapped be an ancient, evil spirit… you really think she was thinking clearly enough to leave us some kind of clue.
"If it was anyone else, no. But this is Lydia Martin… if anyone's going to be able to think clearly enough in a situation like that to leave a clue behind, it's her." Avery finally spoke up, her voice a little hoarse and the dark circles around her eyes clearly visible in the sun.
"She's right." Teagan nodded reaching over and squeezing her hand, thankful to not only have silence in her head from her mom being gone, but also thankful that Avery had pulled through. For a while it seemed touch and go when they couldn't wake her up, but somehow Deputy Parrish had been able to pull her back.
"So, I was thinking… you two." She said pointing between Teagan and Isaac, "Take the address and find her car."
"What do I need to do?" Avery questioned.
"You're with me." Allison said, "We have a few different places to check."
After telling them she'd brought some extra weapons in her car for Teagan to bring with her, Avery and Isaac went to get them as Teagan popped the trunk of her car to put them in.
"How are you feeling?" Allison asked her friend with a soft smile.
"Tired and sore… I feel like I've been ran over by a truck." Teagan admitted but then looked down for a moment with a smile as she said, "But it's nice, being the only one in my head again. I feel like… like I can finally breathe again."
Taking a deep breath of the cool air she let it out and said, "I feel free."
Allison beamed a smile at her and said, "I'm so glad it worked."
"Me too." She agreed looking over to where Avery and Isaac were talking next to Allison's car as she continued, "And so happy that we both made it through okay."
"I wish I would have known sooner, I would have been there." Allison assured her.
"It's okay, Isaac pulled me through it and we called someone for Avery… we survived, we won." Teagan answered as she looked around, feeling a little guilty for feeling so much better when Lydia was still missing and Stiles was possibly dying.
"What's wrong?" Allison asked, almost immediately picking up on her friend's fallen expression.
"I shouldn't be here smiling… or feeling good at all." She admitted, then explained, "Stiles is dying and we don't have any idea if Lydia is even still alive…"
"Hey…" Allison said as she stepped forward and hugged her, "Lydia's going to be fine, she's strong. And Stiles… we're all working on a way to save him. But you deserve to be happy, Teagan. You've have been going through hell for months, and it's finally over… don't feel bad for that."
Teagan smiled at her words and hugged her tighter as she said, "I just can't wait until this is all over, then we can all celebrate together."
Stepping back Allison smiled at seeing some of the light had returned to her eyes, as she said, "I'm so happy to have you back, and you're right. Once this is all said and done, we'll find some way to celebrate together… all of us."
The girls both let out a small laugh and looked up as Avery and Isaac were headed back towards them, with weapons in their hands.
After exchanging goodbyes and promises to call each other the moment they found something out, Teagan and Isaac left to find Lydia's car and Allison and Avery headed off in the other direction.
~()~
"Here we are." Isaac announced, as he parked the car near a locked fence. On the other side of the fence they could see a parked car in an abandoned parking lot.
He glanced over at Teagan from the corner of his eye, watching her open the passenger side door and slowly stand up. He knew she was still feeling weak from having Avery in her head the night before.
After sleeping for the rest of the night, she was looking better; she had more color in her face and had some of her strength back, but she still wasn't completely healed yet. If it were up to him, she would be home; resting but he knew she wouldn't do that. Not while Lydia was missing. She had to find her best friend.
Teagan walked up to the fence, seeing the chain keeping it closed. "It's locked." She stated.
She glanced over her shoulder to look at Isaac; who was walking up behind her. "I have a lock pick in my car-"
Before she could finish her sentence, Isaac grabbed the chain, pulling it as hard as he could until it snapped. He glanced over at Teagan with a smile on his face, causing her to chuckle.
"My man is a badass." Teagan teased, remembering all the times he had called her a badass.
Isaac laughed at her comment, as he opened the gate and waited for her to walk in before he walked in behind her. Getting back at the task at hand, Teagan's face grew serious as she walked closer to the car, that she quickly recognized as Lydia's.
"It's definitely her car." Teagan mumbled.
"The scent's strong of emotion." Isaac stated, as the scent hit him the closer they got to the car.
"Fear?" Teagan questioned, as she turned her head to look at him; the wind blowing her hair in her face.
Isaac came to a stop in front of her, pushing the hair from her face, as he shook his head, then said,"No, anger."
"That's Lydia." Teagan said with a small smile. She knew her best friend wouldn't go down without a fight.
Seeing the worried look on her face, he leaned forward; pressing his lips against her forehead, before stating, "We're going to find her, babe."
Teagan wrapped her arms around herself, feeling a chill she couldn't shake since Avery was in her head. "I just feel like every time we get close to winning, something comes and just rips the rug out from under us."
Isaac nodded his head, knowing what she meant. Every time they thought they were coming out on top, they were hit with something else, but no matter what, things were going to be okay. At least that is what he had to believe; they couldn't afford to lose anyone else.
"I know things seem bad..." Isaac began to say, as he laid his hands on either side of her face. "But we're going to get through this. We're going to find Lydia, we're going to save Stiles. We have already overcome so much. Look at what we have faced and beat already. " He softly smiled, as he continued, "Just last night we got you back. Avery saved you. I believe there is nothing we can't do, if we all stick together."
"It's you and me, remember?" He stated, causing her to smile and nod her head.
He gave her a quick kiss, before saying, "Now let's look for clues."
"Okay." Teagan said, with a smile, his pep talk building her up. He was right, they had overcome so much and she had no doubt now they would win this. Then they would all celebrate, just like she and Allison planned.
Isaac walked over to the driver side, laying on the ground to look under the car, as Teagan circled around the car, looking for anything that could give them a clue on where she could be. If anyone would leave a clue it would be Lydia.
As she made it to the driver side, where Isaac was laying, she paused, feeling a bit dizzy and laying her hand against the car to catch herself. Isaac quickly looked up, seeing the state she was in then jumped up from the ground.
"Teagan?" He questioned, as he stood in front of her. He saw her rub her forehead and sway on her feet for a moment, before raising her head to look at him. "Hey, babe, are you okay?"
"Yeah, just still a little weak." Teagan answered. "It's better than last night though."
Isaac shook his head, as he began to say, "I should have taken you-"
"No." Teagan interrupted, knowing what he was going to say. "I'm not going home. Not until we find Lydia."
Isaac blew out a breath, wishing she wasn't so stubborn but realizing that was one of the many things he loved about her. He reached out to open the driver side door, as he stated, "Come on. At least sit down for a bit. We can search inside the car."
Teagan nodded her head then sat down in the driver seat. Isaac shut the door, then ran around to the passenger side, sitting down beside her. The two glanced around the front of the car and looked in the back seat, neither one seeing anything.
Teagan glanced over at Isaac for a moment, before saying, "I haven't had a chance to ask how you are doing? When you were briefly possessed and all?"
"I'm okay, but I... I honestly don't know how you did it." He said.
"Did what?" Teagan asked confused.
"How you were able to stop your mom all those times." Isaac answered. Then continued, "Just the little bit I was possessed, I can't get control of myself. I wanted to so badly. I saw what I was doing and I knew it was wrong but I couldn't stop. I wanted to hurt the twins, I wanted to hurt Avery, I wanted to hurt you." He lowered his head, guilt overtaking him, as he added, "I could hear you trying to reach me, pleading with me but all I could think about was wanting to destroy you. I hate myself for it, for all it."
"I know what you mean." Teagan softly said, as she looked down at her hands. Remember all the bad thoughts she had of hurting him and the times that she did hurt him. She would never forget that.
"I'm sorry for all of that and for cuffing you to the bed by the way." He said, as he looked over at her. A small smile on his face, as he continued, "I promise next time we use cuffs it'll be for a good reason."
Teagan softly chuckled at his comment, then looked back down at her hands, playing with her fingers, as something crossed her mind. Something she wanted to talk to him about, but didn't know how to bring it up.
Isaac tilted his head, hearing her heart rate pick up, then asked, "What's wrong?" He knew her well enough to know something was bothering her. He saw her take a deep breath but still didn't look up at him or say a word. He reached out, grabbing her hands as he said, "Talk to me, babe."
"That night..." Teagan began to say, as she finally raised her head to look at him. "When we...you know, were you uh, were you..."
"Me?" He finished for her. When she nodded, he gave her a smile, as he said, "It was all me. I wouldn't have went there with you if it wasn't me."
"And um, what about afterwards? The things we said. Do you..."
"Do I remember?" Isaac questioned. Assuming that is what she was trying to ask.
Teagan nodded her head, as she said, "I know how it is to have someone else in your mind, and sometimes it's hard to remember what thoughts are your own or someone else's. So I guess... What I'm asking is... Do you remember? Do you uh, did you mean it?"
Isaac leaned across the seat, placing a hand on the side of her face, before pressing his lips against hers for a gentle kiss. He reached down, grabbing her hand to lightly rub his finger against hers, as he said, "One day, I'm going to put a ring on that."
"You do remember." Teagan whispered, with a smile on her face.
"I do." He softly said, as he caressing her cheek. "I remember it all. Every word and I meant every word too."
Teagan smiled at his words, then turned her head to look out the window when she heard the wind blowing outside. As her eyes landed on the glass, her smile fell; as a thought hit her.
She remembered Allison telling her one time about how she and Scott use to pass along messages by writing on the window. Allison had told all the girls about it, making her wondering if Lydia would have tried to leave a note that way. It was a long shot, but maybe there would be one.
Isaac was watching her, a loving smile on his face until he saw her face fall, causing him to ask her what's wrong.
Teagan turned her head to look at him for a moment, then looked back at the glass as she leaned closer to the window; blowing out a breath against the glass. Her eyes widen as words began to appear.
She looked over at Isaac again, before they both looked at the glass, both reading the words, 'DON'T FIND ME'. They both couldn't help but wonder who left the message; the obvious answer was Lydia, but why would she tell them not to look for her, making them wonder if it was the nogitsune who told her to leave it; warning them to stay away but she didn't care. She was going to save her friend no matter what.
~()~
After coming out of another building with no sign of Lydia or the nogitsune, Avery stopped with a heavy sigh next to the car.
"What is it?" Allison asked turning and facing her blonde friend.
"I know why we're checking all of these places. But I don't know… I can't help but feel like he's keeping her hidden right under our noses." Avery admitted with a frown, as she remembered being held captive in the bank all summer and then Deucalion keeping her and Scott at her mother's house. Every time it had been right under their friends' noses.
"Do you have any ideas?" Allison questioned, crumpling her hand written list up and tucking it in her jacket pocket.
Avery shook her head and looked up to the sky before she looked back to Allison with a defeated look, causing the brunette to frown. It had only been a few hours earlier that she'd seen the light back in Teagan's eyes.
But Avery's eyes told a different story, that she was beat down, weakened and that light was gone.
"What you did to help Teagan… it took a lot out of you, didn't it?" Allison realized, grabbing onto her friend's arm to stop her as she started to turn away from her.
"A lot more than you're letting on…" Allison continued.
With a sigh Avery slowly nodded and said, "I went into it, fully expecting to not wake up."
Allison's brown eyes widened as she gasped, "What?"
"It's Teagan, I had to do it… even if it killed me." Avery simply responded, but the numbness in her tone scared her friend.
Before she could respond, Avery looked back at her showing some emotion for the first time that day as she said, "Thank you, for everything you've done; for teaching and training us how to survive, Teagan and I are both alive because of everything you've taught us."
Allison's lips pressed into a thin line as Avery continued, "And for being one of the greatest friends I could ever ask for, I owe you so much."
"I don't like this…" Allison admitted, glancing around as she reasoned, "I feel like you're saying goodbye…"
With a small shrug she said, "I've just… I've had this feeling in the pit of my stomach since yesterday like something is going to happen. It's part of the reason I was so sure that saving Teagan was going to kill me, and I… I don't know, I just know it's not over yet.
Stepping forward Allison pulled her into a hug as she said, "You're right, it's not over… but you're talking like you've given up hope, and that's unacceptable."
Pulling back she held onto Avery's upper arms as she pointed out, "Once you've given up hope, you've already lost… and the Avery Dukate I know, would never back down from a fight or give up."
Avery nodded with a smile that didn't reach her eyes as she walked around the passenger side of her friend's car, thinking that she wasn't the same person she used to be.
~()~
After seeing the message on Lydia's car window, Teagan and Isaac left the car making their way back to Teagan's car, neither one knowing what they should do next until they got a text message from Avery; telling them to go to Scott's, she would explain more there.
Isaac parked the car behind Avery's on the street in front of Scott's house. Avery stepped out of the car when she saw them pull up, watching as the couple stepped out of the car.
While Teagan was getting a little better as the day went on, Avery seemed to look worst. She looked even paler than she did the night before, and the broken look was still in her eyes. She looked determined, like she did anytime she was trying to save a loved one but when it came to herself; she looked like she had given up.
"A..." Teagan began to say with a worried look on her face. It had not been that long since she and Isaac split up from Avery and Allison but it worried her to see how badly her best friend looked.
"Scott is on his way here with Meredith." Avery interrupted. She knew what Teagan was going to say, and frankly she knew they didn't have time to worry about her own problems. They needed to find Lydia and save Stiles, that is what was important.
"Who's Meredith?" Isaac questioned.
"A girl from Eichen House." Avery answered, then added, "They think she can help us somehow."
"How?" Teagan asked, confused.
Avery shrugged, as she said, "I don't know. Scott didn't say much when he texted me to come here."
"Someone is here." Isaac stated, as he looked over Avery's shoulders, seeing a car coming toward them and parking on the other side of the street.
"That's not Scott and Stiles." Teagan pointed out, as she looked over at the car.
"Then who-" Avery began to asked, as she turned to look at the car in question. When she saw who stepped out, she groaned, as she said, "Damn it, we do not need this right now."
"Is there a reason all of you are outside my house." Agent McCall questioned, as he approached the teenagers.
"Is it still technically your house when you don't live here?" Avery asked back, as she folded her arms across her chest and shot him a look. She never got along with authority figures much and she definitely didn't get along with Scott's father.
Rafe flashed her a tight smile, not letting the young girl bait him. "Regardless, my son and ex-wife live here and having teenagers standing around outside makes some of the neighbors a little uneasy. At least that is what the neighbor who called me said."
"Who said that?" Avery snapped, as she glanced around, wondering which of Scott's neighbors called Agent Dick on them.
"It doesn't matter." Rafe said, then asked, "Where's Scott?"
"He's on his way." Teagan answered, feeling Isaac take a step closer to her and placing a hand on her hip as he wrapped an arm around her.
"Maybe you all should come inside until he gets here." Rafe suggested, as he nodded his head toward the front door.
"Great, just great." Avery mumbled, only Teagan and Isaac hearing her.
Rafe took a few steps toward the porch, then turned to look at the group seeing that none of them had moved. Knowing he was waiting for them, Teagan nudged Avery forward, making her start walking first, then she began to walk behind her with Isaac beside her.
Avery glanced over her shoulders, shooting Teagan a look,then glanced back forward, coming to a quick stop when she noticed Rafe was still standing in the same spot. He gestured for her to go first, but she shook her head telling him to go first.
Rafe shook his head at the young blonde being stubborn as he began to walk toward the front door. He used the key he still had to open to door, then pushed it open for the three teens to walk inside.
Once inside, Teagan sat down on the arm of the couch with Isaac standing protectively behind her. Avery stood in the middle of the room, her arms folded across her chest as she glanced around the room, while Rafe stood on the other side of the room, silently watching the teenagers.
No one knew what to say; actually Avery had a lot she could say but was too drained to start anything with the older man.
After several, long, awkward minutes passed, Rafe cleared his throat, then asked, "Isn't today a school day?"
"Yeah, well, uh..." Teagan began to stutter, at the same time Isaac said, "No, we-we had a um, a day off."
Avery shook her head at her friends, then looked over at Rafe as she simply said, "We got out early and decided to meet here to study."
Rafe nodded his head, knowing none of them were being honest but he wasn't going to bust them on it. Honestly all he wanted to do was speak to Scott before it was too late.
As if on cue, the front door slammed open, as Scott, Stiles and Meredith rushed inside the house, causing the others to look over at them. Scott's mouth dropped open in surprise at seeing that his dad was there. He wasn't expecting him to be there and didn't have time to explain what they all were doing.
"What are you doing here?" Scott questioned his father.
"I could ask you the same thing." Rafe said back, wondering what excuse his son would give him.
"Free period. We're doing group study." Stiles answered back without having to think of an excuse.
"Hey! That's basically what I said." Avery called out.
Stiles looked over at her, pointing to his head with a wink as if to say they are on the same page.
Rafe shook his head at the teenagers, then looked over at the new girl standing in between Scott and Stiles. "Who's she?" He questioned.
"Oh, that is, uh..." Teagan tried to say, until Stiles spoke up.
"She's my girlfriend." He stated, as he wrapped an arm around her shoulders.
"You're not my type." Meredith said, as she shot Stiles a look.
Isaac lowered his head, resting his forehead on Teagan's shoulder as he chuckled at the comment. Teagan reached back to pat the back of his head, telling him to be nice.
"He's not that bad." Avery pointed out. "Stiles is one of the good ones." She continued honestly, remembering when they used to date.
"Aw." Stiles said, as he softly smiled at her. She was his first girlfriend, his first love and he would never forget her.
"He's my type." Meredith spoke up, causing everyone to look at her then look to see who she was staring at, which happened to be Isaac.
"Mine too." Teagan said, as she smiled at Meredith.
"He has nice eyes and a nice smile." Meredith said to Teagan, before looking over at Isaac again.
"He does. I love his blue eyes." Teagan said, as she turned to look at him. She lightly touched his face, as she added, "And I always tell him he has many smiles."
"I see that." Meredith said, then added, "He gives you all his smiles. You two are lucky."
"Thanks." Teagan said sincerely, as she laid a hand on the back of Isaac's neck playing with his hair.
Isaac looked at his girlfriend, then over at the new girl before looking at his girlfriend again as his mouth dropped open in surprise. He was not expecting Meredith's comment, and he definitely wasn't expecting them to go back and forth, as they talked about him.
"Well, obviously we have a lot to talk about." Stiles pointed out, still trying to play off the lie. "We should take this upstairs." He suggested, as he pointed over toward the stairs. When he saw Meredith staring at Isaac again, he added, "And Isaac can come too."
Stiles snapped his fingers, telling Isaac to follow them as he and Meredith began to walked across the floor. Isaac glanced around confused, wondering why he was getting roped into this but before he could say a word; Stiles pointed over at Teagan, as he added, "And T; since you and Meredith are apparently friends now, you should come too."
"Okay." Teagan mumbled, as she stood up and began to walk behind Stiles and Meredith, with Isaac walking along behind her.
"And Avery..." Stiles began to say, wanting her to follow along with them. He paused for a moment, letting the others walk past him, as he turned to see if she was coming. He heard Scott's father tell him they needed to talk then saw Avery stepped up to stand beside Scott, in case he needed back up. She had her arms folded across her chest, as she shot a look at Rafe.
"Avery!" Stiles hissed, getting her attention as he snapped his head to the side, telling her to come with him and leave Scott along to deal with his father. He rolled his eyes as she shook her head at him and looked back over at Rafe.
Scott glanced over at the blonde besides him, grabbing her hand and giving it a squeeze letting her know he was okay with out saying a word. He nodded his head over toward Stiles, telling her to go with them.
The two had a silent conversation with their eyes as she raised her eyebrows, as if she was asking if he was sure. He nodded his head, assuring her he was. She sighed, as she dropped her arms then walked past the older McCall, not taking her eyes off of him until he was out of her sight.
"What was that about?" Stiles hissed over at her, as the two made their way upstairs to join Teagan, Isaac and Meredith in Scott's bedroom.
"I don't trust him." Avery stated, referring to Scott's dad.
"You can silently judge people later, for now, we need to find Lydia." Stiles pointed out, trying to get her to focus on what was important right now.
"Trust me, I know how important that is. I-" Avery began to say, then quickly spun around when she heard a noise behind her and realized Stiles wasn't walking behind her anymore. She lowered her eyebrows in concern when she saw Stiles leaning against the wall, feeling a wave of dizziness.
"Stiles, are you okay?" Avery asked, as she rushed over to him.
"Yeah, I'm just- I still feel a little weak." Stiles admitted, as he shook his head and closed his eyes for a moment, hoping the dizzy spell went away soon.
"I know how that feels." Avery mumbled, as she glanced down for a moment. She honestly didn't know how she was standing up at the moment. All she really wanted to do was lay down and close her eyes for a couple of days, but knew she couldn't –not when they were in a middle of a war.
"I heard about what you did for Teagan." Stiles said, getting her attention. As she looked up at him, he continued, "It was a great thing to do but god, Avery, you can't keep doing things like this. You know the more you dip into that darkness, the more likely..." He paused for a moment, getting better control of his emotions. The thought of something happening to her, of losing her was too much.
He shook his head, as he continued, "There's a good chance you might not come back to us or worse."
"It's Teagan." Avery simply said. "I have to do it. She couldn't keep living like that, with her mother screaming at her to do unthinkable things."
"I get it, I do. I understand how it feels to have someone else in your head and I don't want that for Teagan but there had to be another way." He stated.
"There wasn't." Avery said back. "Getting into her mind was the only way and we were running out of time. I had to save her."
"And who's going to save you? You're too busy saving all of us, but who is saving you, Avery?" Stiles questioned, with a concerned look. Just one look at her, with her paler than normal skin and dead eyes, it was easy to see that she was about to drop at any moment.
"Stiles, you should know better than anyone, that I don't need saving." She said, as she flashed him a tight smile, hoping to ease his mind but the forced smile just made him worry even more.
"Avery.."
"Let's go find Lydia." Avery interrupted. "Then we'll fix you and everything will be okay. You all will be okay."
Stiles shook his head, noticing that she didn't include herself in that comment, which left him feeling very uneasy. As she turned to walk away, he reached out grabbing her arm to pull her toward him and wrapping his arms around her, giving her a big hug.
It had been a long time since she was in his arms. Things were a little weird between them ever since they broke up then got worst while they were in Eichen House. He remembered everything he did to her while he was possessed and he knew things were different between them now, he also knew she might kick his ass for holding her like this after everything but he felt like the hug was something they both needed at the moment. He ran a hand up and down her back, as he softly said, "You're going to be okay too, Avery."
Avery squeezed her eyes shut, trying to push aside everything… trying to remind herself this was Stiles again, not the nogitsune. She thought about the comment he just made, wishing she could believe his words, but she honestly felt like she would never be okay again. She blew out a breath, as she opened her eyes and saw the faceless version of herself standing down the hall, bringing her back to the present and made her realize, no matter what, she couldn't escape her fate; whatever that may be.
She quickly pulled back, giving Stiles a small smile, then nodded her head toward the bedroom door telling him they needed to get back to the task at hand.
The two walked into the bedroom seeing Meredith sitting on the bed, as Teagan and Isaac were standing off to the side; quietly talking to each other.
"Hey, has she told you where Lydia is?" Avery asked, as she walked up to the couple.
"No, she hasn't told us anything." Isaac answered.
"All she says is we need to wait." Teagan added, as she turned around to look at Avery and Stiles. She felt Isaac lay his hands on her sides, as he stepped up to stand behind her.
"Wait for what?" Stiles questioned, causing the two to shrug, neither one having an answer for him.
"We don't have time to wait." Avery mumbled.
She grabbed Stiles arm as she turned around to face Meredith; forcing him to turn around and stand beside her. Teagan walked across the room to stand on Avery's other side, with Isaac standing behind her. She wrapped her arms around herself still feeling a slight chill ever since she woke up.
"Okay, Meredith..." Stiles began to say, as he clapped his hands.
Before he could say anything else, her gaze landed on Avery as she spoke up and said, "I know you."
"Yeah, you just saw me downstairs." Avery pointed out.
"No, you were there." Meredith stated.
"Where?" Avery asked confused.
"Eichen House." Meredith answered.
Avery shifted uncomfortably at her words. Neither time she was at that place was pleasant and she wished she could forget it, but unfortunately she couldn't. She glanced over at Stiles for a moment, seeing a guilty look on his face and knew he was thinking about when they were there.
She lowered her eyebrows in confusion as she remembered that she never spoke to Meredith while she was in there. She never even met the girl until now.
"Wait, we didn't talk at Eichen house while we were there." Avery stated, as she gestured to herself and Stiles.
"No… I mean, before." Meredith said, referring to the first time Avery was there after her suicide attempt. "There was darkness around you." She whispered, almost like she was afraid the darkness would overheard her. "You were sad, but then you went away and got better." She added, as she gave Avery a small smile.
Everyone turned to look at Avery, until Stiles cleared his throat and said, "Meredith we need your help with our friend."
Meredith looked back over at Avery, as she shook her head and stated, "I can't help her. There is too much darkness now. The darkness is back in her."
"No, we need your help with Lydia." Avery spoke up, ignoring her comment. She folded her arms across her chest, breaking the eye contact with Meredith not liking the way she was watching her.
"Whoa, wait, what do you mean though? Is Avery okay?" Teagan spoke up, as she laid a hand on Avery's shoulder feeling concerned for her.
"I'm fine, but Lydia isn't" Avery pointed out, as she looked over at Teagan. There was still hope in saving Lydia.
"Lydia, the redhead." Meredith said, realizing who they were talking about.
"Yes! Yes! Good. Progress." Stiles said, as he clapped his hands, happy that Meredith knew who Lydia was now. Earlier when he and Scott asked her, she had no idea what they were talking about. "Now, all you got to do is tell us where she is."
"Okay. Okay." Meredith said. "If she tells me." She added, confusing the group in front of her.
"If-if she tells you?" Teagan questioned. "What does that mean?" She added, as she glanced over at Stiles and Avery, who shrugged. She glanced over her shoulders at Isaac, then nodded toward Meredith, telling him to ask, hoping she would answer him.
Isaac nodded his head, then cleared his throat, as he looked over at Meredith and asked, "Can you uh, can you ask her?"
"I already did." Meredith said smiling, happy that she could help him.
"Perfect. Perfect. What did she say?" Stiles asked with a hopeful smile.
"She said she doesn't want to be found." Meredith said, relaying the message.
"What?" Teagan breathed out confused. She glanced behind her to look at Isaac both thinking about the message from Lydia's car.
"This is taking way too long." Avery said with a sigh, as she rested her hands on top of her head trying to keep her anger in check.
"Okay, we need another plan." Stiles quietly said to his friends. He looked back at Meredith, telling her to stay put then nodded off to the side, telling his friends to join him.
"Hey..." Teagan softly said, as she reached out to grabbed Avery's arm, stopping her from joining Stiles and Isaac. "Are you okay?"
"I should be asking you that. I keep seeing you shivering from the corner of my eye." Avery pointed out.
"It's just this chill. I can't get rid of it. Guess it's a side effect of having you poking around in my brain." Teagan said with a small chuckle, trying to make light of the situation. "But you are the one I am worried about. Avery, you're looking worse and worse every minute." She added with a concern look.
"Like you said, side effect from poking around in your brain." Avery said, repeating her words.
"Avery..."
"You all need to stop worrying about me. Lydia is the one we need to be helping." Avery interrupted. Without another word, she walked away, walking toward Stiles and Isaac; who were quietly talking to each other.
"I'm just saying." Isaac whispered.
"Just saying what?" Teagan asked confused, as she and Avery walked up in the middle of their conversation.
"Isaac, we're not going to torture her." Stiles argued, ignoring Teagan's question.
"What? Isaac!" Teagan stated, as she looked over at her boyfriend in shock. She couldn't believe he would suggest something like that.
"Wha-no!" Isaac said, as he shook his head. He reached out, wrapping an arm around her waist, as he explained himself. "I meant scare her."
"We're not going to psychologically torture her either." Stiles pointed out.
"Fine." Isaac stated, as he rolled his eyes, giving up on the idea.
"Wait a minute..." Avery began to say, a thought coming to her. She looked over at Stiles, as she continued, "You said she hears things, right?"
"Wait, she's a Banshee?" Teagan asked, this was the first she heard of this.
"Yeah, yeah." Stiles said, getting excited as he realized what Avery was suggesting.
Without another word to the rest he walked back over to Meredith, kneeling down in front of her as the others walked over to join. The two girls stood behind Stiles, as Isaac stood off to the side, leaning forward to look between Stiles and Meredith.
"Okay, just try to focus on the sounds around you." Stiles suggested, as he spoke to Meredith.
"On what you're hearing." Isaac added.
"Just focus on the silence." Stiles continued.
"Listen to the silence." Isaac said.
"Focusing on the silence." Stiles corrected.
"Listening to the..."
"Okay, will you just let me handle this, Isaac." Stiles interrupted, as he looked over at him. "Please? I just... I have more experience with Banshees." He added.
"Yeah. And mental patients." Isaac added, earning him a slap across the back of his head from Avery. "Ouch!" He hissed, as he rubbed his head and turned to look at the blonde.
"That's enough out of you." Avery said to Isaac. She stepped forward, hitting Stiles' shoulder, as she added, "Both of you." She grabbed Stiles' shirt, pulling him up as she continued, "Now move, let us try."
Teagan nodded her head, as she stepped forward, standing beside Avery, as both girls kneeled down to look at Meredith. They both flashed her a friendly smile, hoping they could get through to her.
"Meredith, I don't know how the whole Banshee-thing works, and I know we're asking a lot out of you, but we really need your help. We need to find our friend." Teagan softly said.
"I want to help." Meredith said back honestly.
"Good, so will you tell us where Lydia is?" Avery asked. "Just one little clue. That is all we're asking."
Meredith was quiet for a moment, making them all think she was speaking to someone, anyone that could tell them something, but instead, all she said was, "Isn't anyone going to get that?"
"Get what?" Stiles asked confused, as he leaned over the girls shoulder's to speak to Meredith.
"The phone." Meredith answered.
"What phone?" Teagan asked.
"The phone!" Avery stated, realizing what she meant. She turned around to look at Stiles, slapping his arm, as she added, "Give her the phone."
"What?" Stiles breathed out, until he understand what she was saying. "Oh! The phone. My phone." He said, he looked over at Meredith, seeing her nod her head. He dug into his pants pocket, pulling his phone out as he pretended to answer it.
"Hello. Yes, she's actually sitting right here." Stiles said, as he talked into the phone. He held it out toward Meredith, as he said, "It's for you."
Avery took the phone from his hand then passed it along to Meredith. They all stood still with bated breath, as they watched to see what would happen next. They saw Meredith placed the phone against her ear as if she was actually hearing someone on the other end.
She pulled it back, looking at the group, as she said, "They say Coup de foudre."
"Coup de what? What is that Spanish?" Stiles questioned, as Isaac shrugged.
"It's French." Teagan stated.
"What does it mean?" Isaac asked his girlfriend.
"It means love at first sight..." Teagan began to say, then added, "Or the literal translation is 'bolt of lightning'."
"I know where she is."
They heard someone say from behind them. They all turned, seeing Scott standing in the door way. A small smile on his face as he again said, "I know where Lydia is."
~ A Teen Wolf fanfiction collaboration between Miss E Charlotte and Sage Londyn.~
A/N- We're getting so close to the end of this story! ^_^ The Dark Blue Moon will come to an end with chapter 41. Thank you for reading the chapter, we hope you all enjoyed it.