From Ashes ✗ Stiles Stilinski - Chapter 30: Chapter 30

Much like the last several weeks - or months if she thought about it - Madeline found herself waking up in a cold sweat, gasping for air. The dreams were beginning to feel real. It was as if she could smell the severed corpses of a field of dead wolves or even hear Lydia's scream. She could almost feel the hand wrapping around her throat. The entire thing was dizzying. Maddie breathed slowly and put her head in her hand for a moment before willing herself out of bed. That was when something strange happened.
When she stood she actually did feel dizzy. She felt the world tilt slightly and she stumbled, gripping her forehead. Maybe she got up too quickly. Yeah, that had to be it. In seconds, the dizziness left again and she shook her head violently to rid the last of it.
The rest of her time before school went in a blur, with only a few speed bumps. For instance, the amount of time she spent outside the close bathroom door needing to pee while listening to the hair dryer blasting. This wasn't anything new but an irritated sigh still passed from her lips. Things, in theory, seemed patched between her and Allison but she still felt that something was off. Especially the night they had trained together for the first time.
"Stop holding back so much!"
"Are you crazy?"
"No, but I'm not made of glass either. I need you to take this seriously."
"You mean you need me to take you seriously."
She wasn't quite the ideal sparring partner yet - and, in reality, Maddie felt more like a trainer than a trainee. In a way she felt as if that was the reason Allison's father allowed that farce to continue, even when Allison was floored the first time.
There was a tension still between the girls and it felt as though nothing had been resolved, regardless of Allison's attempts at amiable conversation afterwards. Everything about Maddie's response was false - the smile, the nod, the short answers - and the older girl wasn't so stupid to not figure that out. It made next few days to and from school increasingly awkward. Neither seemed to want to talk about it and settled for turning up the radio instead.
Now, she found herself walking down the halls of the school alone after Allison quickly told her that she had to hand something in. She refrained from rolling her eyes and nodded, watching the girl walk off.
It didn't matter all that much; Maddie felt the need to get away from all Argents most of the time anyway. All of them, even Allison, seemed to think of her more as a threat than an ally - not that she'd even consider herself allies with the likes of Gerard Argent. He had a habit of simultaneously treating her like a rabid animal and a prized pet. It was astonishing. Victoria still managed to scare the bejeezus out of her with a look - like Maddie was going to be stabbed in her sleep.
Honestly, the only person that treated her halfway human was Chris. Sure, he was a harsh trainer but no worse than Faith, one of the older slayers, on a good day. He at least talked to her like she was still a teenager. She had a curfew now. She did chores - ordinary household stuff, too. Once, she argued with him like she would with Xander and he gave her the clichéd "you live in my house, you live by my rules" lecture. It almost felt like something normal.
SLAM. She had been so wrapped up in her thoughts that she didn't realize that she was on a head-on-collision until the other person's books and papers went flying everywhere. It took her another second to realize the form of a petite girl with shoulder length, slightly mussed blonde hair was flat on the ground as well. Her bright blue eyes peered up at Maddie in surprise. She gaped for a second - probably because Maddie was still standing - and laughed nervously. "Oh my gosh! I'm so sorry!"
"It's fine," was Maddie's automatic response but it came with a sigh. The brunette knelt down and started collecting pieces of loose-leaf that were scattered around them.
As she handed them back, the blonde girl smiled apologetically. "No, really. I was totally spacing and wasn't looking were I was going and-"
Maddie put up her hand and it seemed to silence the girl and used her other hand to give her the papers. "I said it's fine."
The girl's eyes were even wider than before and she nodded only slightly as she took the handful of paper. "O- okay. Yeah. It's fine. Completely fine. I mean, I'm fine! And you're obviously- um, a brick wall." She stood up quickly, hugging her books and papers to her chest and looking like a frightened mouse. "I mean that in a good way! You know, since you didn't fall over."
Blonde and friendly - why were they always blonde and friendly? She was beginning to think the universe was conspiring against her. Maddie raised an eyebrow at the girl. "Right. Well, if you're okay then..."
The girl looked horror struck again. "Oh my god. I didn't make you late for class, did I?!"
Maddie blinked slowly. "...The bell hasn't rung yet." Once the blonde's shoulders slumped down in what could only be interpreted as relief, Maddie's eyebrows knit together curiously. "You're not from here, are you?"
"First day," the girl groaned. "Any advice for the new girl?"
Maddie didn't answer immediately; it might've caused the conversation to continue. Instead, she gripped the strap of her leather messenger bag and walked past the girl. "Get out while you still can."
She almost felt bad about how she treated a total stranger but in a town like Beacon Hills, it was probably best to stay far away from people like Maddie. It had done nothing good for anyone else.
It took only another few minutes to find herself in front of her locker, knowing that - thanks to her little encounter - she only had limited time to gather her Econ and Chem books. Spinning the lock free like a pro, she opened the old metal door and some almost instantly fell out and flop on the floor. Ugh, more papers, she thought as she looked down.
It wasn't papers though; it was a book. A thin book with a glossy cover lay on the ground and she didn't recognize it in the slightest. She bent down and carefully picked it up, examining the laminated illustration on the front more closely. On the ground were a group of men, two of which she could easily identify - batman and superman. The rest must have been other super heroes who didn't have a million movies each. The men on the ground were what really caught Maddie's attention. In front of them, leading them, was a woman with long, black hair, dressed in a star-spangled strapless leotard and knee high red boots. On her hip, a glow gold rope dangled. Her arms were at her sides and her face was hard, determined, and full of worry. This was the type of woman that must've seen atrocities, that knew the cost of the power she was given.
At the very top, in giant, black letters, were the words, Justice League: A League of One.
She chewed on her bottom lip in thought as her head shot up and she looked around, left and right. She even examined the ventilation holes in the locker door by trying to stick it through. It fit. Maddie's eyes went back to the graphic novel and she even caught herself grinning. She shook her head slowly and delicately placed the book back in her locker while pulling out the textbooks she needed.
She was never a big fan of fiction - mostly because she lived in a world that everyone around her thought really was fictional. That was enough. She'd never been compared to a fictional character before though. Maybe, just maybe, she'd find something in common a person who went by the completely ridiculous title of 'Wonder Woman'.
Who knows - maybe reading would even help her sleep at night.
She quietly shut her locker when her thoughts were again interrupted - this time by voices right behind her.
"Jackson's not the kanima," a silky, feminine voice said.
Maddie's jaw clenched for only a second. "Are you sure? Snake's a pretty apt description of him."
Maddie turned around, only to be met with the defiant stares of Erica and Isaac. The boy spoke next. "Working our way down list, the next suspect is Lydia Martin."
Without hesitation, Maddie shook her head. "It's not her." She said it so flatly, as if it wasn't even a question. Of course it was a question. Lydia had been having weird occurrences happening all around her and she hadn't exactly been acting normal either. She was immune to the bite. It was only logical. Still, Maddie stayed resolute. "And if you lay a hand on her, I'll kick both of your asses."
"C'mon, Maddie. You're not that stupid." Erica glared at her. "You know there's a good chance that it's her."
Maddie shook her head. "I don't actually. So until I have clear, irrefutable proof that she's the kanima, you don't touch her. And if she is..." Her voice trailed off for a moment and her thoughts flashed to a dark, gruesome memory. Blood. Rain. Vacant, blue eyes. She shook the thought out with all of her willpower, but it still lingered. "...If she is, I'll handle it. Not Derek. Me."
Isaac shrugged and glanced from Erica to Maddie. "Why do you think we're giving you a heads up?"
Maddie stood silent for a long while, her brows furrowing as she looked from Isaac to Erica. The blonde didn't have her usual self-satisfied grin. In fact, her lips were a thin line and her eyes were softer than they had been in weeks. "You and I? We're even."
Maddie's mouth hung open slightly as she watched the two walk away. Once they were out of sight, she took a breath. For a second, it felt as though something in her had cracked. Like something soft was seeping into her thoughts through her hard exterior.
It was only for a second though, as thoughts of what they might have in store for Lydia came forefront. If nothing else, if no one else, she had to protect Lydia.
Even if it was only until Maddie had to make another terrible choice.
Later that day, Maddie strode into Economics lazily, convinced that if she maybe walked slowly enough that the day would not come to a head with another fight on the horizon. Her eyes scanned the classroom quickly until they caught the familiar sight of Scott and Stiles, looking rather apprehensive while Jackson sat behind Scott, whispering something. As she passed the naturally wide-eyes and crazy-haired teacher, she vaguely heard him get her name wrong again and proceeded to the empty desk next to Jackson and behind Stiles. When Coach spoke though, Stiles' attention shifted almost instantly, spotting Maddie. He gave a nod and a slight wave, which she mimicked in return before dropping her books on the desk and sitting down.
Scott managed to silently greet her as well, while Jackson looked at her with a mixture of annoyance and possibly fear. Maddie rolled her eyes and looked down at her shoddy, scribbled notes. She couldn't even think of taking a stupid midterm right now. There was a monster on the loose and a psychopath running the school. How could she be expected to pass a test? Coach Finstock continued on speaking and Maddie's attention flickered over to Lydia, who sat only a few seats down.
"...paralyzed from the neck down. Do you have any idea what that feels like?" Jackson whispered. Maddie's stare went back to the boys, little sympathy in it.
"I'm familiar with the sensation," Stiles replied, his voice grim as he glared at Jackson.
Scott looked the most concerned though, as he shot Jackson a panicked glance. " Wait - why would Derek test you? Why would he think that it's you?"
"Why wouldn't he?" Maddie quietly added, earning three different looks - a glare from Jackson, an eye roll from Scott, and small grin from Stiles. She eyed Scott, her expression flat and a bit scrutinizing. "Come on. He survived the bite and isn't a wolf. It's a little suspicious."
"Hey! Sitting right here." Jackson narrowed his gaze on her.
She quirked an eyebrow. "Uh, yeah. I'm aware."
Jackson stayed silent in replied, his stare darkening. All the while, Stiles' eyes widened as he looked between Scott and Maddie before landing on the popular boy in between. "Wait, do they think it's Lydia?"
"I don't know," Jackson said. "All I heard was her name and something about chemistry."
Maddie's eyes shot downward and her mouth pursed. She could feel three stares on her and awaited one of them to speak before Coach shouted to the back of the room, "Jackson! Do you have something you want to share with the rest of the class?"
"Um - just an undying admiration for my - my coach."
"That's really kind of you. Now shut up! Shut it! Anybody else?"
At least half a minute passed before the churning in Maddie's stomach got to her. "Erica and Isaac warned me this morning."
"Wait, warned you?" Stiles asked.
Maddie shrugged, just as confused as Stiles and Scott looked. "They owed me one, I guess. Or maybe they'd rather have me handle it than..." The stare she was getting from Stiles dropped into something much less shocked and much more disappointed. Scott, on the other hand, gave her a look that seemed sad but altogether...understanding. "If it has to be someone, it's better than Derek doing it." Her voice didn't match the sentiment, though.
"How is that better?" came Stiles' almost bitter response. Maybe even accusatory.
Her eyes shot up to his, feeling angrier than she'd been in weeks. No, wait. Not angry. Hurt. "Don't."
That was when Scott asked the question no one wanted to think about. "...How do we know it's not her?"
Stiles glanced back over at Scott, seeming mildly flustered. "Because I looked into the eyes of that thing, okay? And what I saw was pure evil. And when I look into Lydia's eyes, I only see 50% evil." He paused and was about to go back to his notes when he threw Scott another look. "All right, maybe 60. You know, but no more than 40 on a good day."
Maddie found herself rolling her eyes and leaning back in her chair. There was nothing she could possibly say that wouldn't sound annoyed or resentful - and a classroom was not an optional place for an argument.
"Stiles, that's not a very good argument," Scott said. She was increasingly grateful to Scott for being much calmer than her.
Stiles' head was down slightly from what she could tell. "I'm aware of that, but I swear it's not her. It can't be, all right? Lydia's fine."
Oh yeah, sure. Fine. Maddie's eyes went back over to Lydia's seat that she was no longer in, then up to the front of the classroom. There Lydia stood, back to the class and writing. Not just any writing - and certainly not anything for Econ - but something specific and indecipherable. Over and over again, she kept writing and there was something else coming from her. Maddie leaned forward and tucked her dark strands behind her ear as she listened closely.
It was...sobs. Quiet, terrified sobs. She turned around slowly, her eyes closed but still crying.
Coach looked rather confused as he looked from the board to the girl. "Lydia? Lydia! Lydia..."
Her eyes snapped open and darted around the room, as if she wasn't sure where she was in the slightest.
Coach Finstock turned to the class, an unsure look on his overly-expressive face. "Okay then, anybody else want to try answering? This time in...English?"
The class laughed as Lydia stood frozen at the front of the room, gradually seeming more and more perturbed. She suddenly whipped around to look at the board.
"What is that? Greek?" Scott asked the boy next to him.
"No, actually, I think it is English." Stiles leaned closer to Scott, showing him the screen of his phone. Maddie leaned forward, struggling to look over their shoulders. Stiles tapped the screen, which showed a photo of the chalkboard and the image flipped around, mirroring itself. Maddie gaped slightly at the words on the screen.
Someone help me.
The bell rung and Maddie trailed Scott and Stiles out of the classroom, knowing where they were headed next. Chemistry. With Isaac and Erica. Of course. Once they reached the halls of the school, she walked at their pace, on the other side of Stiles.
"Of course I'd never hurt Lydia," she repeated for what felt like the hundredth time. "But if she's killing people..."
"...then we stop her." Scott took a deep breath.
"Without killing her," Stiles added with confidence but after a pause, he turned to his best friend. "Right?"
Scott stayed quiet as he kept his eyes directed ahead.
Stiles added weakly, "I mean...C'mon, guys! It's Lydia."
"Exactly," Maddie replied, the knot in her stomach building. She glanced at Stiles, whose attention she'd caught. "And that's why you're not seeing this for what it is." Stiles' had looked away and kept walking and, for some reason, Maddie was urged to continue. To make him understand. "If it turns out that Lydia's the kanima and she's been killing innocent people..." The rest of her sentence got caught in her throat and she sighed. The words that were pouring out didn't feel like hers. "There might not be another option."
Stiles shook his head fervently. "There has to be."
"Then please find it," said Maddie, her eyes to the linoleum tiles of the floor.
"Guys," Scott spoke up, "We can do this. There's always another way." As Maddie glanced his way, she saw him try at a sympathetic smile. "And we're going to find it. All of us."
"And what do you suppose we do until then?" she asked, her voice with much less resolve.
Scott shrugged, looking ahead. "Keep Derek and his pack away from her."
They were only a few steps from the entrance of the classroom before they noted someone by the door. A short young woman with long, black hair stood there with a manila folder. She didn't appear to be a student, as she was dressed in a simple black and gray dress with a matching black blazer. As they entered, she cleared her throat. "Madeline Hayes?"
Maddie stopped in her track and turned to the woman. "Yeah?"
"I'm Miss Morrell, the guidance counselor." She smiled politely at Maddie who didn't return to the gesture. She pointed down the hall. "If you could follow me."
Maddie looked in the classroom, giving Scott and Stiles a wide-eyed, helpless stare and then spotting Lydia. Then Isaac. Then Erica. She turned back to Miss Morrell. "But...Chemistry."
"Don't worry. You've already been excused from class," the guidance counselor continued in a kind voice.
Maddie froze for a second and nodded slightly, unaware of what to say. What could she possibly say to convince the woman to keep her in class? And why was this happening today, of all days? She looked back at the boys and shrugged helplessly before leaving the room and following the older woman.
It could not have been more awkward.
"So, you've been adjusting well."
She wasn't the sharing type when she had the freedom to be honest. She was even worse when she had to lie.
"Yeah. Definitely. Absolutely."
The very idea of a school appointed person to act like your therapist sounded terrible.
"I do see that you were in a fight a few weeks ago."
Maddie was always a private person to begin with. There were millions of things she'd rather do than 'open up'. For instance, getting stabbed again.
"It was nothing. I mean, I was defending someone..."
Yes, getting stabbed would certainly be preferable.
"And you're in foster care?"
"Huh?" was the first sound that left her mouth at the statement. She cleared her throat. "Yeah. Yeah, I am. Was. I was - and still am. Obviously."
She raised an eyebrow. "And your guardian's name is...Buffy Summers?"
Maddie nodded more animatedly than she anticipated, ignoring the odd way the woman said the name.
"I assume 'Hayes' is your original last name?"
"Uh-huh. Yeah."
"Was that your choice?"
"It was."
"Are you two close?"
No. "Yeah. Super close. Great family."
She went on for a while about that one before switching subjects again. "And you were homeschooled before?"
"Yep. Homeschool. School at...you know, home."
Miss Morrell eyed her strangely. "Right. And everything's going well? I do know that many homeschooled kids have a rough time fitting in when-"
"I have friends," Maddie blurted out. "Lots of them. Fitting in great. Can I go now?"
The woman sighed. "I understand you don't want to be here but it's my job to make sure that you're doing alright."
"And I'm doing fine," was Maddie's short, annoyed answer. "Really. I'm making friends and doing my homework. Everything's great. Now can I please leave?"
Above her head, the sound of the bell blared. Maddie groaned. The soft brown eyes of the woman across from her seemed almost disappointed but she still gestured to the door. The teenager stood again and meandered to the door before Miss Morrell spoke again. "And Madeline? A word of advice."
Maddie stopped in the doorway and turned to the woman. "Yeah?"
The woman gave her a knowing look, like she could see right through the girl. "Try to stay out of trouble from now on."
Maddie hesitated, giving the woman a curious stare before nodding and leaving the room. The words stayed with her as she traveled down the hallway in the direction of her next class when she saw a the rushing forms of Scott, Stiles, and Allison coming towards her. They're faces all looked equally worried and they didn't slow when they saw her. Her eyebrows furrowed curiously. "Hey, what's going-"
Just as they were about to pass her, Stiles grabbed her arm and started pulling her along with them. He looked down at her as she turned fully around, panic clear and prominent in his light brown irises. "We might have a problem."