From Ashes ✗ Stiles Stilinski - Chapter 15: Chapter 15

Hunters. They were a family of werewolf hunters.
Why didn't they tell her?
"Why?" Allison asked and it was the only question in the word that mattered. Why would the people that meant the most to her lie for so long about so much? About something could kill her? Her brain was reeling, unable to latch onto any of it without seeing the monster Kate showed her and feeling sick.
"...let's just say if you react badly when you find out," Kate paused, shutting the heavy metal door that hid the captive wolf. "...not good."
Allison, keeping her stance stiff and her expression guarded, found her voice again with a clear tone of offense. "What do you mean not good?"
"They don't think that you can handle it." There was almost an air of amusement in the older hunter's tone as they began to walk down the dark, concrete corridor. "They look at you and they see this frightened little girl who's gonna run crying in the corner when she finds out the truth. Someone who needs to be guarded...watched even."
"What-...what are you talking about?!" Allison slowed her pace to a halt, her mind racing. "They wouldn't..."
Her voice trailed off as her stomach twisted in knots. Her parents...they wouldn't betray her confidence like that. They wouldn't treat her like she was a child. The pain and the anger reached her eyes as she looked up at her aunt who had also stopped.
There was something sympathetic in Kate own gaze as she put a hand on Allison's shoulder gently.
"Sweetie," she began, her voice softer. "Your friend Maddie isn't a friend. Think about the last few weeks. There can be only so many coincidences before you gotta start wondering about some people, don'tcha think?"
Allison the question hung there as she searched through her memory, for something to help her deny it. For a more reasonable explanation for her father's impromptu dinner invitation or a girl she hardly knew ending up in the school at night.
"Madeline Hayes was hired by your father to watch you, because he didn't see someone he could trust with the truth. He - bless his heart - sees his little girl." Kate's eyes were still kind and soft but it felt so false and bitter as she spoke.
Allison's stomach was churning as she stood there, thinking about each moment over and over, wanting to believe her aunt because she always had. Thinking about why her parents would lie. Did they lie? Was her aunt lying? And who the hell was Maddie, really? Kate had already started moving and speaking again, and Allison snapped back to reality.
"Me - what I see - Natural talent. Allison, you said you wanted to feel more powerful, right?" She turned to her niece again, her stare thoughtful although there was still something unreadable in them. Allison took a moment before she nodded vaguely. "Now's your chance."
They began walking again and the unease swarming through Allison's every nerve forced her to find her voice again. "What am I supposed to do now?"
Even Kate's gait seemed nonchalant as she led her niece to the entrance they had taken before. "Go to school, do your homework. Go to the Formal on Friday night. Be a normal teenage girl who doesn't know anything. Trust me to get everything ready for the next part."
If Allison wasn't unsettled before, she certainly was now. She didn't want to be involved in any next part, but...something inside of her, something she didn't recognize, forced her response out. "What's the next part?"
Kate stopped and smiled at her, as if expecting the question. "You're gonna help me catch the second beta."
Allison's blood turned to ice in her veins as they moved forward, unable to go back, unable to stop.
The rest of the weekend had come and gone quickly after the close call on Saturday. It severely frustrated Madeline that the most she could do in front of Scott's mom was glare threateningly at the Alpha – something that seemed to amuse him. She hadn't even caught where Scott had gone after that until he contacted her late on Sunday – which led to an angry phone about not running head on into trouble on his own.
Although, it was becoming apparent that she couldn't help anyone. Allison hadn't left the house on Sunday according to her father and Maddie couldn't seem to get in contact with her. No calls, no texts, nothing. She was beginning to think Allison was avoiding her, but she couldn't imagine why. Things had been going smoothly since the debacle at the school on her first day. It had been weeks since then and they seemed to be getting along swimmingly. She couldn't help but wonder though...
Monday was already drawing to an end when she passed a very nervous – or maybe frightened? - and sweaty Jackson talking animatedly to Allison. The young Argent caught sight of the slayer as she passed but quickly turned her attention back to Jackson when Maddie waved. She frowned and furrowed her eyebrows. Something was certainly up. Maddie had even spoken to Lydia more today – amiably, even. Of course, it was mostly because the petite brunette had actually worn the outfit picked out for her the previous Friday, to the strawberry blonde's delight.
"See? You look great!"
"I feel stupid."
"Now if you just lighten up on the makeup..."
"You are not touching my makeup!"
Unfortunately, Lydia had much less invited Maddie to go shopping that afternoon and more accurately told her she was. Maddie, on the other hand, fought it until being informed that Allison was also going. She still had her mission and if that meant putting up with more shopping, then so be it.
Maddie sighed and spotted Scott and Stiles peeking around the corner, watching Allison. At least I'm a little more subtle about it.
"Hey, don't worry. I'll still be there," she heard Stiles say.
As Maddie walked up to them, hands stuffed in the pockets of her new leather jacket, and raised an eyebrow at the boys. "Be where?"
Scott, looking gloomier than expected glanced at the girl. "The formal."
"The what?" She tilted her head to the side slightly and squinted, as if he had been speaking another language.
"The formal," Stiles repeated, sounding a bit exasperated. At her continued blank expression, he rolled his eyes. "A dance in formal wear. You do know what a dance is, right?"
She glared at the boy, folding her arms. "I know what a dance is."
Maddie grimaced as she thought it over.
"Formal wear? As in fancy, expensive clothes?" They nodded silently and she wrinkled her nose in distaste. "Lame. I guess I'll go."
"Wh- what do you mean you'll go?" Stiles gave her an incredulous look. "You can't just go."
"You need a ticket to get in," Scott said, disheartened. Stiles gestured to Scott as if to emphasize.
Maddie studied them before spinning around, searching the hall. The boys looked at each other and then back to her in sheer confusion. Stiles narrowed his eyes on her suspiciously. "What are you doing?"
"Finding a ticket," was the simple answer she gave before her eyes stopped on someone. In the distance she spotted a boy, but not just any boy - one of the boys who picked on that girl the week before. Erica, right? Not only that but she noted it was the tinier, pretty one that came on to her – the one who she took down first. Something about him annoyed her beyond what he did; he reminded her of another boy. Pretty. Arrogant. He was idly chatting with a girl, all the while paying more attention to his phone as Maddie narrowed her eyes on him. That was when she finally whipped back around, the ghost of a smile on her lips as she held up her index finger. "Give me a sec."
"That- that is not how you find a ticket!" Stiles called after her in a hushed voice.
As she walked away, both boys found themselves giving worried glances.
"Am I the only one that gets this sinking feeling when she smiles?" Stiles remarked, folding his arms. "Like something bad's gonna happen?"
Scott slowly shook his head. "...no."
"Good," Stiles said with a short, relieved nod.
They watched as the boy jumped when he saw her and how the girl seemed utterly confused. From a distance, it seemed like they were merely chatting, although the boy – another lacrosse player named Aaron – looked a lot like Jackson did moments ago. Nervous. Frightened. For a moment, it looked as if there would be an argument but after another few seconds, Aaron's eyes widened and he fervently nodded. Digging through his bag, he handed her the ticket and Maddie's smile widened slightly.
She strode back over, a bit more swagger in her step as she held out the ticket for the two to see. Both looked utterly astonished when Stiles spoke up. "What did you just do?"
"Not much," she said with a shrug. "He had a debt to repay. I was collecting."
Still surprised, Scott let out a laugh in disbelief. Stiles, on the other hand, narrowed his eyes on her as his mouth hung open for a second. "...You frighten me."
Maddie tucked away the paper in her jacket. "So, what doomed to fail plan do you two have this time?"
There was no way Maddie could've felt any more awkward about her current predicament. Allison was certainly making it difficult to keep an eye on her thus far. As the afternoon progressed, the slayer had to ride with Lydia to the mall, fail at making small talk, and since entering Macy's , resigned to keeping in the background. It was almost infuriating but what was even more difficult was not knowing how to fix it.
Snapping out of her thoughts, Maddie caught Lydia say, "You could smile, at least – both of you. Ever heard of the saying, 'never frown. Someone could be falling in love with your smile'? Smile, girls." She nudged the taller brunette. "Especially you, Allison. I'm buying you a dress."
"I have to admit, as far as apologies go, that's more than I expected," Allison replied, her tone lightening a fraction.
Lydia, looking moderately accomplished, gave a nod. "Excellent."
Allison, now smiling, looked at her friend in smug satisfaction. "...but not as much as I'm going to ask."
"What? What's that supposed to mean?" Lydia shot the girl a look and even Maddie seemed a bit surprised.
"It means you're going to cancel on whatever dumb, 'roided-up jock you said yes to and you're going to go with somebody else." As Allison said this, the slayer found it a bit ironic, as she learned only moments ago in the car that Lydia's date – who was indeed a dumb, roided-up jock – had canceled on her because he 'sold his ticket' just this afternoon and 'dances were boring anyway'.
Lydia, who was certainly not going to reveal this anyway, was looking more worried by the second. "Who?"
As they stepped off the escalator, Allison turned to her left and the other two girls followed her gaze. "Him."
Several feet away, standing at one of the glass counters, was Stiles, examining a bottle of perfume closely before spraying it in his own face. He flailed a bit and sneezed a few times before setting it down and looking around, probably to make sure no one saw that.
Lydia looked mortified as Allison's smug smile grew, whereas Maddie was fighting back laughter at the thought of the Lydia and her new date. This didn't last long at all and soon the petite brunette found herself laughing out loud hysterically. The strawberry blonde whipped her head around to glare at the slayer. Maddie finally began to call down, although her sides hurt, and caught the glare. "W-what? I'm smiling!"
Allison, who seemed rather pleased with herself as her friend turned back to the boy with an uneasy glance, added, "Don't frown, Lydia. Someone could be falling in love with your smile."
Stiles turned to them and immediately noticed Lydia. He gave a goofy smile and a wave.
Maddie was still trying to control her laughter in the background.
"You're not wearing black," Lydia chastised Maddie for the fifth time as Stiles followed the two with a pile of dresses.
Maddie, of course, was carrying her own selections – all of which were black. Her eyebrows knitted together in confusion. "What? Why not?"
"Because you'll look like you're going to a funeral in that." She pointed to the dress Maddie had just picked up.
The slayer shrugged. "Then it has a dual purpose."
Lydia took the dress from her and put it back on the rack. "I refuse to put all this work in for nothing. Choose a color."
"Fine!" Maddie replied, her annoyance seeping into her tone. She, without hesitation, grabbed for a dress on the same rack. "Red."
Lydia raised an eyebrow as she threw another dress into the pile that Stiles was carrying. "And why red?"
Without even a twitch of a smile, she deadpanned, "It's functional." She grabbed another red dress, not even bothering to examine it. "Just in case I need it to blend in with the blood of my enemies."
Before her were two very different reactions to her comment. Stiles was gaping at her with wide, horrified eyes while Lydia rolled her own hazel eyes and sighed as she moved on. "I just don't get your sense of humor."
She added another dress to the pile, causing Stiles to speak up. "Oh - okay, so are you just gonna - try these on right now? All of them? Is this a 24 - hour Macy's?" He began to follow Lydia before stopping by Maddie. "Next time just get a giant neon sign that says 'I'm a vampire slayer' if you want to let the whole freaking town know."
"It wasn't the whole town; it was Lydia," Maddie replied, her tone light and airy. "And she thought it was a joke anyway. Calm yourself."
Stiles adjusted his grip on the plethora of formal wear he was carrying. "Yeah, well, you know what tact is? Learn it, live it – "
"Hold on." Maddie's attention had left the boy as her skin began to prickle with goosebumps, like the air had filled with static electricity. Her head perked up as her senses began to go haywire. Something was there – something dangerous and most certainly supernatural. She closed her eyes for a moment, focusing every conscious thought on her surroundings and drowning out the soft buzzing of voices that bled together in the background. The static in the stagnant air shifted sharply and her eyes snapped back open. "He's here."
"Who? Who's here?" Stiles' head darted around.
"The Alpha. How close by is Scott?" Maddie's gaze shot over to the boy.
Still confused to an extent, Stiles managed to say, "Close. What, so is this another slayer thing? Spidey senses?"
"Just go catch up to Lydia. I gotta check on Allison." Maddie, without a look back rushed away through the racks and people. Under different circumstances, she might have rolled her eyes at the pop culture reference.
"Attention shoppers. To the owner of a blue Mazda, license plate –"
"Did she just say a blue Mazda?"
"- 5768. Your car is being towed –"
"Oh! That's my car."
As she caught the voices, Maddie watched as Allison rushed away, leaving Peter standing alone. "I have to say, Scott, I continue to be impressed with your ingenuity. Just remember - You can't be everywhere all the time."
Maddie was bristling behind him, watching him. "Good thing it's not just him."
"Good thing?" Peter slowly turned around, a smile spreading across his face. He eyed her closely, carefully. He stepped toward her, an almost predatory stare drilling through her and making her want to recoil. "Well, maybe for me. Two birds, one stone – you understand of course. Your kind happen to be the most infamous group of killers in history."
Her stomach churned as she went stone still, struggling against the urge to pick at the scar on her stomach. Two hundred and eleven days and she could still smell the iron in the air.
"Being a slayer isn't the same as being a killer." Her voice was low, almost a growl as her dark stare narrowed on him. "And I'm not in the mood for banter."
"Hm. Pity." He seemed intrigued by her reaction but turned away and began to walk off all the same. "I would stay and knock you off that pedestal but...let's save the fireworks for the big events."
She wanted to tackle him again, like the night in the school. She wanted it over. He'd already killed so many and there was no telling how much more death he would bring. Her free hand clenched together in a tight fist.
"After all, there's a dance coming."
Dress? Check.
Shoes? Check.
Kick ass leather jacket that she's never admit to Lydia that she adores? Check.
Bag full of weapons? Check.
"I look too made up," she whined over the phone. "Like, I don't know, a doll or something..."
"You'll look gorgeous and I expect a huge thank you," Lydia's voice came through the speaker of Maddie's phone. "Did you get the manicure?"
"Yes..." She fought not to pick at the red polish on her nails.
"Pedicure?"
She looked down through the lace of the black heels and moved her toes. "Yes."
"Hair done?"
"Yes, okay?!" Maddie flicked a large curl out of her line of sight before mumbling, "They're going to kill me when they see that bill..."
"What?"
"My, er, parents! They don't know how much I spent," she managed to half-lie. She looked in the mirror, marveling at her makeup and checking for any lipstick on her teeth. She didn't really like it – for her, at least. Sure, she looked nice, but there was an air of authority in looking intimidating instead. She heaved a sigh. It's just one night.
"They gave you your own card; they should've expected it. I mean, you're a teenage girl."
She flashed an astonished look over to the phone, as if Lydia could see it. "What's it like to live in your world?"
"You're about to find out."
The slayer quickly put in her silver dangling earrings and adjusted her silver cross necklace. "Right. Meet you there."
"I'm still not hearing a thank you, Madeline."
"Thank you," Maddie labored out.
"Or if you're really grateful, you'll switch dates with me."
There was a short pause as the brunette blinked. "But...I'm not going with anyone."
"My point exactly."
"You'll be fine. Just suck it up and deal. It's just one night." She grimaced as the sentence left her lips. "Besides, it's just Stiles. What's the harm?"
She heard Lydia sigh rather dramatically and a murmur of a voice in the background. "Well, hurry up and get to the school. I expect to see my job well done very soon."
"Yeah, yeah. Sure thing." Maddie exhaled loudly as the line went dead. She smoothed out the material of her dress which was a deep a red as a cherry. She didn't hate it, per se; it was just new, like everything in Beacon Hills thus far. She quickly threw on her leather jacket and grabbed her messenger bag, wondering whether her oncoming nerves were because this was her first dance or because of what Peter had said earlier that week. As she reached the door of the room, she took a deep breath and opened it.
"Time for some fireworks."