From Ashes ✗ Stiles Stilinski - Chapter 33: Chapter 33

Maybe it wasn't the best idea to have Allison and Lydia travel alone.
Maybe it wasn't the best idea to try and chase after the kanima.
While Maddie was at it, it was a stupid as hell idea to stay in this town to begin with - but hindsight always seemed to slap her in the back of the head, so why dwell?
She had made it all the way to the parking garage on foot, all the while assuming Stiles and Scott would eventually catch up. Of course, Derek had beaten her there and the Argents' black SUV even before that. It was her first instinct to go anyway, but if Gerard found her fighting beside Derek freaking Hale, she was as good as dead too. She didn't need to give them more reasons to turn on her. Instead, as Chris made a bee line for the creature, Maddie had hid several pillars away, taking advantage of the distracted shapeshifter.
As the kanima screeched and shots sounded around her head, she held her breath. Any sudden movement could guarantee her a bullet to the chest as well, and, unfortunately, that was not something she could say she was completely immune to.
The echoes of gunfire faded and the empty lot became quiet again. She released her breath and peeked from behind the cement structure. There on the ground laid the kanima, silent and still. No, not just the kanima - Jackson. She might have found herself somewhat irritated by the boy on a regular basis, but... As her muscles relaxed and her stare fell to the ground, she felt her foot slip a centimeter or two across loose pebbles on the ground. It was the tiniest noise but it seemed to call something's attention.
She could hear footsteps getting closer when she again heard an ear-piercing shriek.
Suddenly, the next noise she heard was something slamming into the other side of the very same pillar. She stiffened for a moment and, in the next, leaned to her side to find what had made the sound. On the ground was the pained and out of breath form of Allison's father watching something with fear in his eyes.
There was a mild bit of concern, as he had housed her and trained for quite sometime now. She wanted to fight it, but found herself crouching close to the ground and moving around the pillar. She wanted to ask if he was alright, but didn't get the chance. This seemed to catch the aging hunter's attention as his eyes darted over to her. His typically stony gaze remained just that - but there was something else there. Concern. Knowing.
"Leave," he muttered quietly, in the same gruff tone he always used. "Now."
She wanted to ask why but found her eyes wandering over to the blinding headlights, where the kanima was crouched and Gerard stood across from it. There was an uneasy calm that shook her to her core and, without another though, she dashed away before Gerard could see her.
She didn't know where she was running, just away. That's all she knew. It felt wrong to run away from ordinary people, but she didn't like thinking about the alternative either. They still had souls. She would never seriously harm something with a soul, no matter her threats or boasting. Her aimless running didn't last very long though as she heard quick footfalls in the distance and, whether it was Derek or Scott, she knew they would lead back to the monster.
In no time at all, she had found Scott and Stiles hiding just out of view of a club entrance, talking quietly. She felt more out of breath than usual, considering how much she was used to running just about everywhere. Still, she made it over to them and stopped just before running them over. Without giving either of the boys a chance to speak, she asked, "Well? Where is it?"
They both gave her strange looks for a moment before turned to the sign at the club entrance that glowed neon green. As she watched more and more people pile through the entrance, her shoulders slumped. Of course.
☽ † ☾
It certainly was not her scene, for more reasons than one.
After sneaking in through the back in the least subtle of ways, they entered the crowded, humid building. She didn't really understand the looks she was receiving until she really took a moment to look around. She couldn't seem to find any other females.
"Dude, everyone here's a dude! I think we're in a gay club," she heard Scott note.
This was followed closely by, "Man, nothing gets past those keen werewolf senses, huh, Scott?"
Even she found herself mildly amused at the sight of Stiles surrounded by a group of drag queens who were giving him some extra attention. He looked almost as helpless as he usually did around most monsters, maybe more. Maybe a few years ago, she would've been too. Alas, she could still remember days in San Francisco, following Marie's lead and finding a much less hostile environment in clubs specifically like this one. If anything, they weere her favorite.
Although she found herself torn between helping and letting him suffer in awkwardness, her kinder side won out and she strode over to the group. A wide, friendly smile spread across her lips as she directed her attention to the small group. Without saying a word to the boy in the center, she took hold of his sleeve. "Sorry, ladies — this one's with me."
'Us' probably would have sound better. It was only a fleeting thought.
Without another word, she tugged Stiles along with her to the bar where Scott watched in amusement. The bartender had turned his attention to them as Maddie let go of Stiles' sweat jacket and the scrawny boy spoke up to the man behind the counter. "Three beers!"
Maddie shook her head. "A water."
Stiles rolled his eyes and shrugged. "Two beers and a water."
The bartender smiled politely at Maddie before returning his attention to the boys. "IDs?"
She watched the boy awkwardly pull out two driver's licenses, waiting for the bartender to analyze them. After the man did, he gave the two a dead pan stare. "How about two cokes?"
"Rum and cokes, sure!" Stiles agreed while another awkward silence passed in a room that was all but silent. Another moment of scrutinizing stares passed before Stiles spoke again. "Coke's fine, actually. I'm driving anyway."
Maddie turned away with a small laugh, deciding that her efforts were better spent away from their antics. She had barely heard the glass of water being set behind her when something caught her eye in the crowd. It wasn't Danny, as Stiles pointed out moments later. It wasn't even the kanima that crawled above their heads, even though she knew it should've been her priority.
Then it went through the crowd again - the thing that caught her eye. It was human. The person was stumbling through the crowd away from her, clutching his neck. His hood was up but she could tell something was wrong - wrong and familiar.
She left the bar silently gently pushing through the crowd. There was no sign of the hooded stranger. The slayer knew there was something off about whoever it was. Something out of the norm. She swallowed as it passed between couples dancing to the pulsing music. There was something about it that seemed urgent. The girl didn't even know where her friends were anymore. She didn't know where the kanima was. She knew she'd even seen Derek Hale and he wasn't enough to call her attention.
Something in the far reaches of her mind had latched onto this figure in the mass of people.
That's when she felt a hand on her forearm before it forced her to spin around. Before her eyes was a hooded boy with sallow skin and dirty, copper hair. His green eyes were unfocused as they looked through her. He still held his neck as he began to choke out words. "Slayer."
Her breath caught in her throat. Her thoughts were spinning as she heard a scream behind her. She wanted the boy to let go so she could run towards the sound, but his grip tightened.
"You're too late. The mother and..." he coughed violently, "...and her chosen son...they know...they..."
"Know? Know what?!" she heard herself shout. She had no control over it; her panic had taken hold of her.
He tugged her closer as his black hood fell off. Her eyes widened as they were directed to the place his hand was still clasped over. Blood ran down his neck and chest, under his sweatshirt. It seeped through his fingers. When she heard his speak again, it was raspier, more like a growl. "They're going take it. Your wall will crumble. Your dogs will be gutted. The beast will have three heads. You did this. Your beacon will burn."
They're going take it. Those words, again and again, on an endless loop. She couldn't process the rest.
"Take...take what?!" she shouted over the noise. "Take what?!"
He coughed again, this time in her face. She stiffened, seeing specks of red on the corner of his mouth. Maddie looked down at her shirt and the skin just above it. Dots of blood stained both and her heartbeat quickened in her chest. She looked up to see the boy but he crumpled to the floor in a heap.
"No, no, no, no..."She bent down to the boy and shook him, but the moment she felt his chest, couldn't detect a thumping of a heart under it. She shook her head furiously. "Please! You have to... You can't— You..."
The screaming and sirens bled into the background and she felt someone pull her away.
☽ † ☾
It must have been a huge gap of time between watching a boy die on the dancefloor and standing by the jeep, Maddie decided.
It wasn't, really. It just felt that way. It wasn't all that long ago that she had wiped the blood from her face and neck. It wasn't long ago that she had tried to go back in.
Maddie was already reasoning with herself, telling herself the boy was already that way. He was a pawn. She needed to know so much though...how did he get that far into town that way? How did he know where she was? Who are the mother and her chosen son?
That was a different question entirely, though. She knew that part from the wound on his neck.
He'd been attacked by a vampire.
"You okay?" she heard the question beside her as she stood by the rolled down, driver side window.
Her head snapped over to the jeep, finding a pair of worried, brown eyes meeting her gaze. She nodded, attempting a comforting smile but failing miserably.
"What happened in there?"
"I..." she began but shook her head. "You have enough to deal with."
He shrugged, trying at a smile. His attempt seemed much more successful than hers.
"I owe you my life like a billion times over, so let me help, okay?" There was the clearing of a throat behind him and his gaze shot back to Scott for a second before returning to hers. "I, uh...I mean us. Let us help."
The smile came a bit easier this time for her.
"Right." She snapped back to reality when Jackson groaned and tossed a bit. "If you two survive the next few hours, I'll call."
"But if we don't hear from you..." His gaze was mostly worried, but there was something unreadable there. "Seriously, Mads. Just..."
"I will. I swear." She sighed. "I just...I need some time to process things."
There wasn't another word passed between the two and Maddie could hear a siren in the distance. She gave him a grateful nod which he returned, although the worry on his face had not ebbed. He almost looked like he wanted to add something, but stayed silent. Before she changed her mind, she made a snap decision and sprinted away, toward the Argent residence.
☽ † ☾
A drive was the best course of action after dropping off Lydia, Allison noted.
She needed to get away from everything for a bit. She needed to get away from her family that didn't want her in the way, her friend that she was forced to lie to, the rest of the group that didn't need her help, and a plethora of other problems that were running rampant in her brain.
The dark road stretched for miles, twisting and turning around neighborhoods and thick trees as her hand found the volume control knob on her dashboard and cranked it. A song she didn't recognize started on her Pandora, but it roared through the speakers and pulsed through her whole body. It was almost therapeutic.
That was when she caught the form of a blonde girl on the side of the road out of the corner of her eye. She was jumping a little and nearly walking out into the middle of the road. It wasn't until she got closer that she recognized the face - but only vaguely. The girl was from school, at least recently she was. She was the same girl who she had spotted Maddie talking to earlier that morning in halls. She might've even spotted her in Econ today, if she remembered correctly. Maybe she was new. Whoever she was though, she looked utterly panicked.
Allison found herself frowning, knowing that she didn't really want to stop but not having the heart to drive past. She slowed the car and pulled over to the side of the road. She lowered the volume of the music and rolled down the passenger side window, leaning over to to smile politely at the girl. "Hey, are you okay?"
"Um, not really..." the blonde said with a nervous laugh as she crouched down a bit to look in the car. "Freaked out, mostly. Verging on terrified."
"Did you need a ride?"
"Would you? That'd be— I mean..." she stumbled over her words. "Yes! That'd be great."
Allison unlocked the passenger side door. The girl seemed nice enough and she couldn't imagine anyone faking that kind of terror. The girl climbed in the car and fumbled with her seatbelt for a moment but seemed to settle in. The brunette sent her a gentle smile. "Okay, where am I going?"
The blonde gave sheepish smile, her blue eyes still full of panic. "Um...that's kind of the thing. I don't know." Allison was about to open her mouth to question the reply, but was beat to the punch. "I mean, I'm new and I was just wandering a little bit and then this thing, this shadow thing, started chasing me! And I ran as fast as I could and I wasn't looking where I was going and—"
"It's okay. Breathe. You'll be okay," Allison answered with a soft pat on the girl's shoulder. "Do you know your address yet?"
The blonde let out a long exhale and nodded. "Yeah. Um, 219 Walsh?"
Allison smiled again and typed the street address into her GPS. "Alright, let's get you home."
☽ † ☾
Maddie hated using the front door. It was basically announcing to the whole house that she'd been out and it was typically followed by a long list of questions. Where were you? What were you doing? Did you see anything suspicious? Why were you out so late? Were you with Scott? Did you see Derek? It was all so tiring. She bet that the old Watcher's Council wouldn't even give her this much trouble. This was why she was now on the roof, heading towards her room.
She groaned at the thought of the council, suddenly reminded that she was going to have to let HQ know about all of this. The kanima. The boy. All of it.
She hid in a shadow atop the roof before quickly walking across it and to her window. With little effort, Maddie pushed the widow open and tumbled gently into her room and onto her floor.
She wasn't alone.
Lying flat on her back on the carpeted floor, Maddie looked up to find a shocked Lydia staring at her. The strawberry blonde sent her a shocked look. "What the hell are you doing?!"
"What am I doing?! What the hell are you doing?!" Maddie asked in a hushed tone. "Why are you here?"
"Easy. You're a bad liar," Lydia shot back. "So tell me what happened tonight."
Maddie gaped at her for a second before scrambling to her feet. "...I don't know what you mean."
"See? Bad liar." Lydia folded her arms. "And while we're chatting, what in the world has been going on the past few months? Why aren't you and Allison talking? Why aren't you sleeping? And why the hell did all of you think I was so stupid that I'd buy the study group explanation?"
Maddie bit her lip, standing stone still. This was not what she needed right now. She just saw someone die right in front of her for the first time in months and received a message that...
"They're going to take it." The message she just heard, the same one from her dream. The same one that Lydia gave her in her dream. She shook the thought away regardless. I can't drag Lydia into this. I can't. But she couldn't lie either. "I can't tell you."
"First of all, newsflash? I'm already dragged into this mess."
"Hold on, how did you—"
"Also..." She strode over to the lamp switch, illuminating the room in a soft yellow glow. Unfortunately, it seem to illuminate more than just the room as Lydia's eyes grew large and she gestures at Maddie's clothes. "Why is there blood all over your shirt?"
Maddie folded her arms and cast her stare at the floor. "Lydia, this isn't a good time..."
"When is a good time, Maddie?" Lydia's stare was a dangerous mix of hurt and anger. "When more people end up dead? When I'm thrown in Eichen house because I think I'm going crazy? When the whole town is burning to the ground?! Tell me!"
"'Your beacon will burn...'" Maddie muttered under her breath in horror. Her heart was racing in her chest and her thoughts whirled around in her head at break neck speed. Her head snapped back up to meet Lydia's stare. "How did you know that I wasn't sleeping?"
This seemed to catch Lydia off guard as she looked like she was about to answer but no words left her mouth. Her eyes were still wide as they stare off into space. "It was obvious. I mean, I... Didn't you tell me?"
"How did you know it was me with Stiles the night of the game?" Maddie watched the girl and slowly shook her head. "Maddie needs you." Lydia didn't even see her when she said that to Stiles. "Did you see me?"
"I don't... I mean, I..." Lydia's breaths were getting short and her eyes were getting glassy as they returned to Maddie. "What's happening to me?"
Maddie was frowning again, this time deeper. Guilt was clouding her judgment now and she knew it. Whatever the girl before her was, it was enough to know what was happening in Maddie's head. It made no sense, though. Had this happened with anyone else? Maddie swallowed the lump in her throat as she forced the next words out. "They're going to take it."
Lydia's breath hitched as if Maddie had said something terrifying. "How did you—"
"Lydia..." Maddie took a careful step to the frightened girl. "Think. Did someone tell you that?"
"...No."
"Where did you hear it?"
"Stop. Please. I can't..."
Maddie swallowed, hating herself. "Lydia. I need to know. Before we're too late, I need to know. What are they going take?"
Lydia searched the empty space between them, her eyes moving wildly. She knew something, but...she didn't. The strangest part was that Maddie believed Lydia's confusion and grief and terror. Why did she trust her so easily? The girl finally looked up at Maddie, fear and confusion behind her gaze. "What you are."
Maddie's eyebrows furrowed as her thoughts came to a halt. The room became eerily quiet and she had to remind herself to breathe again.
There was a long pause before Lydia looked back at Maddie's shirt and up to her face. "What are you?"
Maddie only hesitated for a second. No going back now. "You might want to sit down for this."
☽ † ☾
Her name was Sadie. A fitting name for someone who babbled and smiled all the time. She had told a joke about Coach Finstock and gotten Allison laughing for the first time in what seemed like ages.
"The crazy teachers are always the best," she had said before mentioning music and segueing into friends.
Allison listed names — Lydia, Scott, Stiles, and Maddie — and invited Sadie to sit with them in the future. She'd done the same with Maddie, after all. It'd be nice to have some normalcy.
"Yeah, I think I met a few of them in my classes." Sadie's nose scrunched up. "I'm generally really good people new people, but there was this one girl this morning who was kind of a jerk and basically told me to leave, so that was a great time."
Allison's brows furrowed and her eyes only darted to Sadie for a second. "Really? Do you know her name?"
"Didn't catch it." Sadie was quiet for a second before she started up again. "Dark hair, epic eyeliner, sorta mean? Possibly punk but lazy punk and maybe religious?"
Allison turned a corner, dark houses blurring past. "Religious?"
"Well, she was wearing a cross, but I'm not one to judge."
"Maddie?"
"One of your friends?"
"Yeah," was Allison's unintentionally hesitant answer. "Well, we live together."
Sadie didn't say anything and when Allison glanced over briefly, the blonde looked confused.
"We're relatives." Allison paused for a moment. "Distant relatives."
"That must be buckets of fun."
Allison shrugged but her eyes didn't leave the road. "It's not that bad, really. I mean, it could be worse."
"But..."
"But nothing," Allison resolved with a heaving exhale. "She's nice when you get to know her."
She tried not to noticeably wince when she said it.
Sadie laughed a short laugh. "Oh, come on! Living with anyone is never that easy. Like, me and my sisters are always at odds. They always have to outdo me. It's so annoying."
Allison thought back to the past few months and grimaced.
"I mean, there are little things but..." She glanced over at the blonde, who seemed amused at her inability to vent. Allison sucked in a deep breath. "Alright, alright! This sounds so lame, but... She's just...really awesome at a lot of things."
Sadie gave her a deadpan stare. "That's not actually a complaint, y'know."
"That's the thing!" Allison went on as the GPS interrupted with 'You have arrived at your destination'. She pulled up outside a massive house. "She's great at all of these things, and everyone knows it, and I...I'll never be that. No matter how hard I work, and struggle, and overcome, it'll never happen."
The blonde smile faded into something sympathetic.
"Sometimes, I just wish...I don't know. I wish I could be that, I guess." It was then that she caught herself wallowing in her own self-pity. Although it stirred still in her stomach, she forced an embarrassed laugh. "Oh god! I'm so sorry. I'm just going on and on..."
"No, s'okay. I totally get it." Sadie seemed to try at a laugh. "I've been there a whole lot. And sometimes, the only person you can vent to is a total stranger."
As the girl unbuckled her seat belt and opened the door, Allison decided to speak up again. "Thanks. For listening, I mean."
"Anytime, Ally," Sadie said, her grin falling into a worried expression. "Can I call you that? I probably should've asked..."
Allison laughed and nodded. "It's okay. Ally's good."
Sadie smiled widely and closed the car door. "See you at school."
"Yeah, definitely." Allison waved and rolled up her windows, pulling out of the parking space and driving into the night once again.
As she drove off, Sadie stayed in her spot.
"Today's your lucky day, Ally."
The smile never left her face as her face became sunken in, revealing the bone structure, muscle, and veins. Her hair, once neatly kept, was now straw-like. Her blue eyes seemed brighter than before as they followed the car until it was out of sight. A chuckle came from her throat as she played with the bronze chain of her deep red amulet.
"Wish granted."