We sat on the floor of Scott's room with the money in the duffle sitting in front of us. I played the recorder to let the message ring loudly.
" You will be assigned a new IP address if you choose to continue down the list. Remember- visual confirmation is always required for payment." The tape said loudly before pausing.
" Have you ever made a wire transfer?" Stiles asked us as I chuckled, the thought of a Banshee warning roaring in my head. I have to hold back my mental pain right now.
" Never had enough money." Scott said smallish.
" I do, just never had the time or urge to." I said as I threw a wad back into the duffle.
"...So, you didn't understand a word of that, either?" Stiles asked us as I shook my head.
" I don't understand any of this. Why would someone use all this money just to kill us?" Scott asked us as he held a large wad of bills in hand.
" Someone wants you two dead, dude- badly. I don't want that for either of you." He said as he placed a hand on my leg. Scott scrambled to put the money away.
" Whoa, whoa- what are you doing?" Stiles asked Scott as he had a wad in his hand.
" It's late. We've got the PSATs in the morning." Scott said as I groaned.
" Mortal fucking problems when we have a mark on our asses, fucking great!" I said before laughing at the pure audacity of it all.
" No, I meant the money. Five hundred thousand dollars, Scott... You know how much money that is?" Stiles asked in almost a pleading tone. I know what he was trying to convey.
" It's five hundred thousand." Scott said calmly, but Stiles ramped it up.
" It's half a million dollars, Scott. What are you gonna do, just slide it under your mattress?" Stiles genuinely asked him.
" I have to talk to Derek. The money's his…" Scott said as I shrugged.
" You mean his and Peter's." Stiles told him.
" None of mine. It's somewhere else." I said as I stood up.
" What does that mean?" Scott asked as Stiles looked apprehensive.
" I mean, maybe we should proceed with caution." Stiles said as I saw the look on Scott's face.
" You don't think we should tell Derek?" Scott asked him. Stiles rubbed his forehead. He shook his head.
" No, of course we have to tell him. I'm just... I'm just saying, some of that money's Peter's, right?" Stiles asked as I watched this quietly.
" Yeah…" Scott said as Stiles rubbed his hands. It was as if he was prepping himself.
" Right? Peter? Homicidal killer? Remember? You want to give five hundred thousand dollars to him?" Stiles asked genuinely.
" So, we should give Derek his money back... but not Peter?" Scott asked as he was trying to understand it all.
" I didn't say that." Stiles said as he stood firm.
" Stiles, what are you saying?" Scott asked him, but the doorway had Malia come into view.
" We found Satomi's pack, Derek and I... But, they're dead." Malia said as I felt myself stand stiff. Oh fucking no!
" All of them?" Scott asked as I got worried, where was Satomi?
" All the ones we found..." Malia said as I perked.
" Then where's Derek? What happened to Derek?" I asked her, her face fell.
" At the hospital with Braeden. She was shot." Malia explained as I fell on my ass.
" Oh hell." I groaned as I slammed back on the bed.
" And the problems keep going up and over what we can do." I said as Stiles took me out of there.
" It's all coming, they are coming to kill us aren't they?" I asked as Stiles looked back at me.
" I won't let them touch you." He said as I nodded, I continued to hold back the tears as he took me back to his place. I didn't want to deal with this anymore, but what can you do? Sleep came a bit rough, but I didn't dream. When I came to, Stiles had Benny's on the side table.
" Go shower and I'll pick out your clothes." Stiles said as I smiled. I got up and kissed him.
" I love you." I say as he smiles. He slapped my ass as I trotted to the bathroom. I showered in my favorite shampoo and conditioner. When I got out after washing my body, I came into the room to see a grey tank top and black jeans at the ready. I also saw my favorite black hoodie.
" You know how to treat a girl." I said as I picked up the clothing. I saw on the side a red lacey bra and panty set.
" Cute!" I said with a chuckle as Stiles had his sandwich halfway in his mouth. I got dressed and dug into my Benny's. Afterward, we left to head for the PSATs.
" Gotta love going to school on a fucking Saturday." I said as Stiles pulled into a spot.
" It'll be ok. We got this. It's just a test to help us for college." Stiles said as we got out of the Jeep.
" Right. Living normal lives the best we can with a looming death seeking our asses." I said with a fake cheery tone.
" It'll be ok. I promise." Stiles said as I chuckled.
" Hopefully. Cause I would love after this bull to have you take me." I said as I approached him and he gave a nervous smile.
" God, I love you." He said with a bright smile on his face. I kissed him before we headed inside the school. I see Scott, Kira, and Malia in line. We joined them.
" You guys look relaxed." Scott said as I nodded.
" Very much needed." I said as I gave Stiles a shoulder knock.
" Where's Lydia?" Kira asked as Stiles smirked.
" She took it her freshman year." Stiles said as I saw Malia look panicked.
" Does that mean I could have taken it some other time?" Malia asked as if fight or flight was itching her.
" Malia, you studied harder for this than any of us. You took time to study with Raven." Scott said as I smiled.
" Awe thanks, Scotty." I told him with a smirk.
" Doesn't mean I'm gonna do good." She said nervously.
" "Well." " Stiles said correcting her, she growled lightly at him.
" You will be ok, I promise." I said with a grin.
" Oh, God!" Malia said more panicked.
" Okay, okay! We're doing this because while we're trying not to die, we still need to live. If I survive high school, I'd like to go to college. A good college." Scott said sounding panicked himself.
" It's only three hours. We can survive three hours." Kira said as we got inside the room. I went first and put my phone in the envelope. I pressed my thumb in the ink and put it on my test before grabbing it and sitting down. I saw on the board that the teacher's name was Mr. Simmons.
" Please do not open the test booklet until you are instructed to do so. This test is two hours and ten minutes. There will be two twenty-five-minute critical reading sections, two twenty-five-minute math sections, and an essay writing portion that will last thirty minutes." Mr. Simmons said as he watched us. He turned his attention to Lydia's mom.
" There are supposed to be two teachers monitoring this exam." He said as she shook her head.
" I know. It's Coach. He's not exactly punctual. Um, let me just try him again." Ms. Martin said as she went out in the hall for a bit before coming back.
" I can't find him... But Mr. Yukimura is upstairs grading papers. Do you want me to try him?" She asked him, but Mr. Simmons shook his head.
" We have to start. We can ask for his assistance during the first break." He said to Ms. Martin. He turned his attention to the class.
" You may now open your test booklets and begin." Mr. Simmons said as I opened the book and began the test. I was taking time to answer questions when I felt this twinge in my head. I shook my head but saw a girl fall.
" Sydney! Are you all right?" Ms. Martin asked as she ran to her side and helped her up.
" I'm okay... I just got kind of dizzy…" She replied as I saw something weird on Sydney.
" Sydney, how long have you had this?" She asked my classmate.
" I don't know." Sydney replied.
" Ms. Martin, do I need to stop the test?" Mr. Simmons asked her. I saw the calm look on her face.
" No... Um, it's fine. Everybody stay in your seats. I'll, um, be back in a minute. Nobody leaves the room." Ms. Martin said before leaving, I turned to Scott to see a more worried look. Oh no! An hour passed before the school was shut down. I sat next to Stiles as my head pain went from a twinge to a light throbbing.
" Bet they're thinking smallpox." Stiles said as I sat on a desk.
" Not likely." Mr. Simmons said as he looked up from his magazine.
"Smallpox was eradicated worldwide in 1979. We've only managed to completely eradicate two viruses in history. The other was rinderpest- it killed cows." He said as I was confused, but whatever.
" So, we should be comforted by that, right?" Stiles asked him.
" Unless it's something worse." Mr. Simmons replied to him. Stiles and I walked over to Malia. Scott was out of the room.
" Whatever it is, they're taking it pretty seriously. There are a lot of cars and trucks out there." Malia says as I rub my shoulder.
" Your dad's with him." Malia said as Stiles rubbed his head. He went over to Mr. Simmons.
" Hey, I should probably call him." Stiles said as Mr. Simmons shook his head.
" Don't bother- they would have shut off any access to all outside communication by now. No cell service, no WiFi, no one starting a panic." He said calm cool and collected. Something was off.
" Looks like we're all just going to have to wait here and see what happens." He told all of us. My headache was starting to feel worse. I stayed next to Stiles as my pain began to come forth.
" This headache won't quit." I groaned as I held my head. It was a light throbbing and it was slowly getting worse. Stiles came up to me.
" You ok?" Stiles asked as he took me to the side.
" I've got a headache. This feels different." I said as I held my head.
" Alright, let me see if we can escape all this crazy bullshit." Stiles said as I nodded. We walked the hall towards the locker room.
" They are in here." Mr. Yukimura said as he came out of that room. Stiles took me in and I felt my head beginning to pound.
" Ouch, this hurts." I say as Stiles gets me to the bathroom with Kira, Scott, and Malia.
" It's still happening." Mr. Yukimura said as he looked at us. I was holding my gut as Stiles kept me steady. My fangs were exposed.
" I can't make them go back." Malia said as she showed her claws.
" My fangs won't go back." I groaned as my headache had gone from a throbbing to a painful grinding.
" Obviously, the virus is affecting the three of you in a way that won't hit any human being." Mr. Yukimura said as Stiles kept me up.
" You guys have to stay out of sight- we have to quarantine you from the quarantine. This might be an ambush." Stiles said as I leaned myself into his arms.
" Yeah, but where? I mean, what if they get violent, like on a full moon?" Kira asked out loud.
" Love the enthusiasm." I said as I groaned.
" We shouldn't stay in here. Not in the locker room." Scott said as his eyes flickered.
" A classroom is not going to hold us." Malia said as my head kept pounding harshly.
" What about the basement?" Kira asked as she threw out the idea.
" Too many ways out. We need something secure- somewhere nobody can find us." Scott said with a slight sweat going on.
" My vault." I said as I was leaning on Stiles.
" We always had another way to escape from the innocent eye." I told them as I stood up. Stiles pulled out a map of the school.
" This is where the high school sign is, so the vault's got to be right about here." Stiles said pointing about.
" I suppose, if there's a second entrance, it would probably be accessible from the basement." Mr. Yukimura said as Stiles pointed at a corridor.
" It's probably somewhere in this hallway- west corridor." Stiles told us as I felt a cling to hope fill me. Kira fell for but a moment.
" Whoa. Kira, you good?" I asked her as I pushed through the headache.
" It's happening to you, too. You're getting sick- you all are." Mr. Yukimura said before looking at his daughter.
" I don't feel sick." She told us.
" I think it's affecting you differently. Neurologically. I found your test answers here in a pile with the others." He said as he showed her the problem.
" It's messing with the fox." He explained to her. We all then went towards the west corridor and began to look.
" This fucking sucks." I groaned as I felt slightly cold. We were all on the lower floor looking for the other entrance. I hated losing my power and then another thought occurred.
" Is this how I'm going to die?" I asked as Stiles came up to me.
" No, this isn't how you die. You aren't going to die." He said as I almost felt tears leaving my eyes.
" Stiles." I tried to hold my fears, but he held me tight.
" I won't let you die. Fuck the warning. I'm going to keep you breathing." He said to me as I nodded. I soon found a shelf in front of a familiar etching on the wall. I tried to lift the thing myself, but failed!
" No! no, no no." My strength too!" I growled under my breath. I gripped the metal and tried to twist it, but it didn't give!
" Fuck." I said under my breath as my mind kept fucking spinning.
" Hey!" I called out as Stiles and Scott looked over my way. I see Kira, Malia, and Mr. Yukimura looking my way as well.
" Move this!" I called out as Stiles and Scott moved it.
" It only opens with claws- anyone's claws, right?" Stiles asked as I shrugged. Only Hale's claws can open it.
" Malia, can you try?" Scott asked her, she looked confused.
" Why me?" Malia asked us.
" I don't have control." Scott said as Malia looked at me.
" Fangs are the only thing I have right now." I told her honestly.
" Okay. I'll do it...But, first, tell me what you've been hiding from me." Malia asked as I almost felt the need to panic.
" I know you think you're trying to protect me, but I can handle it. I know I'm on the list!" Malia said straight at us with vigor.
" So, how much?" Malia asked determined.
" How much what?" Stiles asked her.
" How much am I worth?" Malia asked as Scott sighed.
" Four million." Scott tells her, I watched her face for anything and got nothing.
" Are you okay?" Stiles asked her, She nodded.
" Yeah. Scott's worth twenty-five- Kira, six, Raven is seven -point-five. They'll take you guys out way before me." Malia said as she walked away to the Vault's lock.
" She is getting better at it." I said as I watched Malia's claws fiddle with the lock before the door slid open. We all filtered into the Vault and the door shut behind us.
" You know, this is where it all started. That's where the money was. One hundred and seventeen million in bearer bonds." Stiles said as we stood in front of the safe that Peter owned.
" How do you even change bearer bonds into cash?" Kira asked us.
" Banks probably. Bearer bonds hardly exist anymore." I say as I leaned on a pillar.
" Why does it matter?" Kira asked us.
" You know how many problems that money could solve?" He asked us, before turning to me.
" It could solve a lot of problems. For a lot of them. You." I say as he pulls me in for a hug. I groaned as my pain began to hit my body. I went to a pillar and fell as I almost wanted to hurl. I held myself and tugged at my jacket to keep my ass warm. I saw Stiles talking with Scott as I felt very tired.
" We're already losing." Scott said loud enough for all of us to hear.
" Stiles?" I called for him, and he came over and pulled me into his lap.
" You ok?" He asked as I shook my head.
" I'm so scared right now. I tried moving that shelf and couldn't." I said as I shook. He looked wide-eyed.
" My strength is gone." I said shaking as the tears began to well up in my eyes.
" Is this how I am going to die?" I asked as my tears finally broke free. He rocked me back and forth as I cried out into his chest, the pain hitting me blow for blow.
" I promise, I'm not going to let you die." He whispered to me as I began to shake.
" I need to rest my eyes." I told him as I began to sweat. He held me tight as I felt my eyes flutter shut. His body's warmth spoke to me, it was a piece of warmth I wanted to cling onto for the rest of my life, however long it would last.
" Raven." Stiles' voice drew me out of my hazed sleep. I felt so cold and really tired. My hoodie barely kept me warm.
" I gotta leave for a few, okay?" He said as I cried out my body wracked with pain. Stiles's arms found themselves around me as tears leaked from my eyes.
" It hurts. Fucking christ. It hurts!" I cried out. Stiles kept rocking me back and forth.
" It's worse for you guys. It's another assassin. It has to be the only real answer." He said as he rocked me a little. The pain began to throb as the comforting touch hit me like a sack of bricks.
" Malia is shivering over there." I said as I saw my cousin shivering like a pack of rats.
" Stay safe and stay breathing." He said before kissing my forehead. His hand found my cheek for but a moment.
" I love you." I told him as he smiled. The warm touch flickered away as I watched him cover Malia with his hoodie. I smiled weakly as he left. I laid my head in my arms as the pain wracked my body. I could feel my blood running hot. I felt the fever set in deep as I shook. I fell asleep for what felt like a few minutes before I opened my eyes and saw Scott getting up.
" Malia… Malia?" Scott's voice shook a little, I looked behind me to see Malia pulling out a paper from Stiles' jacket pocket! No! But her face came up with confusion.
" I can't see. I can't see anything!" Malia said as I felt my head pounding, I gripped the sides as I began to blink rapidly. My vision was beginning to go in and out.
" What's happening to us?" Malia cried out as I gripped a pillar.
" Scott? I can't... I can't see…" Kira's voice hit me as I tried with what strength I could muster to stay standing.
" Fuck! This is bad!" I groaned as I blinked rapidly before I couldn't see anything. I slid down the pillar and felt as if my heart was trying to pound out of my chest. I let out a hardy groan as the pain wracked me. I felt a warm liquid running out of my hands. I hear a loud voice echoing.
" Hey, Scott? Scotty? In the vault, in there with you- it's called reishi mushrooms." Stiles' voice screamed as I fell on the floor. I felt so weak and so afraid. Was this how I was going to die? I felt my eyes close as my body shook violently. I felt my body slow before I felt this new wind of airbrush my lungs. I got up with a grunt as this smell hit my nose. I blinked as my vision came back. I saw Malia looking at the paper! No! I saw Stiles come in, but Malia looked at him and then at me before dropping the paper and walking out.
" She knows. Malia knows." I said as I fell to my knees. Stiles came over and I began to sob. Everything that we did was now for nothing. The one thing we tried to do for her, was keep her away from the man that killed my sister and killed so many others. I cried out as Stiles just held me tight.