(Forgive me, I haven't seen y'all since last year ð)
...
On his brand new glass murder board, Stiles cuts a length of red tape to attach a crime scene photo to the surface. "So the Walcott's were the first. At least the first we know about." Stiles began to explain. "Four murders. Sean, his brother, and their parents. They were killed by an assassin called The Mute. Weapon of choice, a military tomahawk." Stiles gets a longer piece and uses it to connect a drawing of the mouthless killer to another piece of evidence on the board. "But The Mute was killed by Peter Hale after he tried to blow Derek up with a Claymore mine. Next was Demarco. He delivered a keg to the party at Lydia's lake house. And got decapitated outside his car." He tapes up a crime photo of the man's body. "And then last night, 23-year-old Carrie Hudson." Then a photo of the Beacon Hills High School sign with a bloody handprint on the corner.
"It's a deadpool. A hit list of supernatural creatures." Y/n tells Noah as she takes a folded piece of paper from her pocket and lays it on the Sheriff's desk.
C:// KEYWORD: ALLISON
SEAN WALCOTT 250
DAVID WALCOTT 250
MICHAEL WALCOTT 250
CHRISTINA WALCOTT 250
LYDIA MARTIN 17
SCOTT MCCALL 20
DEMARCO MONTANA 250
DEREK HALE 10
CARRIE HUDSON 500
KAYLEEN BETTCHER 250
KIRA YUKIMURA 5
ELIAS TOWN 250
"This is only part of it. The rest still has to be decoded." Scott added as Noah looked at the list of names and numbers.
"Who found this list?" Noah asked to which Y/n answered.
"Lydia."
"How?"
"She wrote it. Actually, she transcribed it. Without realizing it." Stiles corrected.
"Banshee?"
"Banshee." Y/n nodded.
"Beautiful. All right, what are these numbers next to the names?"
"We're getting to that." Stiles said. "First, you need to know that the code was broken with a cipher key."
"Wait. You mean, like a- like a key word?"
"It's actually a name."
"Allison." Scott says, the name leaving a somber silence in it's wake, one Y/n hates to break but knows she has to.
"Her name broke a third of the list."
"And now we think there's two other cipher keys."
"Which will give us the rest of the names." Noah figured and the three teens nodded. "Okay. So how do we get the cipher keys?"
"Same way we got the code." Stiles said.
"Lydia." Y/n added. "She's been at the lake house all weekend trying to find the other two key words." Y/n, Malia, and Kira had sat and watched while Lydia had been knelt in front of the large record player, the strange sounds and the soundproof room giving her the first name making Lydia hope it would give her the others. After another few hours of pushing the needle to and fro on the record with no results the three girls looked at each other, nods of agreement that this was enough for now. They got up and went over to Lydia, Kira moving the needle back to it's stationary point while Y/n crouched next to Lydia, telling the banshee that sometimes the answers they seek wouldn't always come from the same sources. Lydia let Y/n and Malia help her from the ground and took her away to rest.
Stiles then tapes a copy of the list on the board before he takes a red marker and scratches out the names of the people who have already been killed, leaving six still alive. Noah looks at the crime scene photos of Demarco, another question ready to be asked. "You didn't know about Demarco or Carrie, hmm?" They each give silent responses of 'no'. "What about these other two names on the list? Uh, Kayleen Bettcher and Elias Town. They werewolves too?"
"I don't know." Scott answers. "But Deaton said that the Nemeton would draw supernatural creatures here."
"Here being Beacon Hills? Or Beacon County? The population of Beacon Hills is just under 30,000."
"And dropping." Stiles quipped making Noah give him a look.
"But if we're talking Beacon County, then you're looking at close to 500,000." He looks slightly exasperated as he sits in his chair. "Look, how many werewolves, banshees, kitsunes, witches and whatever the hell else is out there are we talking about? And what happens if the next cipher key uncovers not 12 names but 100?"
"We don't think there would be that many. There's a limit."
"Because of the numbers." Scott adds and Y/n continues.
"We think that once we decode the names, the numbers will add up to 117."
"117 what?"
"Million."
Stiles took the list and a pen and started to mark the amounts. The single and double digit numbers get an M while the triple digits get a K. "117 million dollars, Dad. Stolen from the Hale vault and is being used by someone to finance all these murders."
"Someone who wants every supernatural in Beacon hills dead." Y/n said. Stiles uses a dry erase pencil to write on the board. He draws a vague outline of a head and shoulders, writing 'THE BENEFACTOR' under it, before scrawling a question mark where the face would be.
"So the coded list goes out. And somehow these professional assassins get that list." Noah surmises.
"And the cipher key." Stiles adds.
"And then they go after the names on the list. 'They' being killers with no mouths, tomahawks, thermo-cut wires that can take your head off."
"Let me see." Stiles looks at the other crime scene photos. "Carrie was also stabbed. What's this mark?" A slightly elongated hexegon shape surrounded the stab wounds.
"We're not sure yet. We're still waiting on the ME's report. There's one other thing I don't get. How did this new assassin know that Demarco was going to be at the lake house?"
"Everyone knows he delivers kegs to teenagers for a little extra cash." Scott informs.
"Ah." Noah simply responds, showing that he didn't know that detail.
"At least, almost everyone." Y/n ammends.
"So whoever ordered that keg killed Demarco."
"Yeah, it was someone at the party." Stiles says.
"A student." Scott adds, and somehow that just makes the situation that much more dark.
...
In Econ Stiles was looking at the crime scene photos while Coach taught the class. "Economic disparity exists in all forms. Well, take sports, for example. Some teams have better training facilities. Some have better equipment. Unlike Beacon Hills that can barely afford the duct tape to keep our equipment together." Coach angrily gestured to the lacrosse stick in his grasp as he walked down the rows, coming to a stop between Scott and Stiles. He hit Stiles' desk with the stick making the boy jump and look up at Coach as he tried to play it cool. "You know, Stilinski," he lent down to look at what had caught Stiles' attention from the lesson, finding the gruesome pictures on the desk, "if I could grade you on how profoundly you disturb me, you'd be an A plus student."
"Thanks, Coach."
"Put those pictures away." He knocked on the desk with the stick again to mark his point and Stiles nodded, glancing at the object. Stiles suddenly grabbed the end of the stick, something about it catching his eye. "Stilinski!" Coach pulled at the stick to get it out of Stiles' grip, but Stiles held tight. He pulled the rubber end off and looked at the slightly elongated hexegon shape the metal took, comparing it to the stab wound of Carrie. It was exactly the same. "What the hell is wrong with you?" After a few more tugs Coach finally managed to wrench the lacrosse stick away from Stiles. "Don't answer that." Coach walked away after giving the teen a look.
"Stiles." Y/n whispered, and he turned to see her looking at him in question. He glanced at Scott to see the wolf mirroring the witch's expression. "What was that?"
"It's a lacrosse player." Stiles shared his revelation.
"The killer's on the team." Scott said. This new information promted the three, plus Kira, to search the lacrosse equipment in Coach's office. Every stick was looked at, but there was nothing suspicious found in any of them. "This- this is pointless. Most of the team plays with their own gear."
"Maybe instead of trying to find a lacrosse stick with a hidden dagger in it, we should be trying to get the game canceled?" Kira thought aloud.
"The game's the best way to catch him red-handed."
"But what if he's red-handed 'cause his hands are covered in the blood of the person that he just stabbed to death?" Stiles asked. "Which, by the way, could be either of you guys." Stiles pointed between the fox and wolf.
"Or Liam." Y/n added. "And more than likely me, too."
"We don't have the whole list and either of you could be on it." Scott said.
"We don't know anything about the list." Stiles pointed out. "How it's made, how it's updated. I mean, who's been out taking a supernatural census anyway?"
"How do they even know about me?" Kira wondered.
"They know about everyone." Y/n said.
Stiles sighs a bit. "I think Kira's right. I think we should stop the game."
"I'm not afraid." Scott claimed.
Kira stood up straighter and looked at Scott. "Neither am I."
"Well, I'm terrified. And I'm not even on the list." Stiles exclaimed. "Guys, these are professional killers. It's their profession. One of them's got a thermo-cut wire that cuts heads off." His voice trails off as he tries not to think about one of them being decapitated. "Who knows what else they have?"
"Stiles." Y/n calls. "I hate to say this, but this is actually per the norm when it comes to the supernatural. I mean, if you hadn't noticed, Hunters are professional killers as well."
"Yeah, I get that, Y/n. But these are assassins. That's like on a whole other level."
"Which means we have to be that much more conscientious. If we're careful, we can get through this. We can survive. For now, catching the killer in the act might actually work out. Yeah, it's risky, but we'll at least be able to figure out who it is and potentially stop them."
"I don't like this."
"None of us do. But it's all we have right now." Scott said. Stiles didn't feel like arguing anymore, and relented for now. They put everything back the way it was and then Kira split off from them as they walked to their next class. Their path took them outside where they saw the visiting lacrosse team disembark their bus, and a certain blonde striding up to one of the players.
"Brett!" Liam called, his best friend Mason trailing behind him apprehensively.
"Ah, here we go." Mason muttered.
Liam stared down the taller teen, trying to control himself. "I just wanted to say... Have a good game." He offered his hand, trying to show good sportsmanship, but all Brett did was laugh, his teammates chuckling.
"That's cute, Liam." Brett claimed with a smile. "Is that what they told you to say in Anger Management? Apologize and everything's fine?" Brett's smile steadily faded, his tone getting less lighthearted. "You demolished Coach's car."
"I paid for it."
"Yeah, you're gonna pay for it. We're gonna break you in half out there. And it's gonna be all... your... fault."
"Scott." Y/n nudged the Alpha, directing his attention to Liam's clenched fist that was starting to drip blood, the Beta doing everything he could to keep himself from lashing out. Scott's eyes widened and he tapped Y/n and Stiles on the shoulder, signaling that they needed to intervene.
"Whoa, whoa, whoa, hey, hey, let's go." Stiles pushed Liam back with Y/n into Scott where the Alpha led him away while the couple smiled at the newcomers. "Hey, what's going on prep students? Welcome to our little public high school."
"How are you boys doing?" Y/n smiled at them, making the boys smirk in return.
"Stiles." Stiles offered his hand, but much like Liam, it was ignored as now they weren't really paying attention to him, all of their focus on his girlfriend instead. "That's a firm handshake you got there."
"We're very excited for the scrimmage tonight."
"I bet you are." Brett commented.
Stiles is now noticing all of the obvious ogling going on, so he takes her hand and puts himself a little more between her and the players, making them now look at him. "Uh, but let's keep it clean, all right? No rough stuff out there, eyes off the girlfriend, and see you on the field. Go." He muttered and they quickly turned to go, leaving a confused Mason behind.
The anger is too much for Liam and Scott and Y/n have to hold him under the running showerhead in the locker room while he struggles against them, fangs bared and growling. He stopped for a moment and they loosened up just a bit. "Are you done yet?" She asked. In response Liam roared and the two older supernaturals shared a look as they shoved him back under the water.
It took a few more minutes before he was finally able to shake off the anger. "Okay! Okay!" He called, and they let him go, Y/n turning the faucet off as Liam leaned against the other wall and slid down to sit on the floor.
"That car you smashed. I thought you said that was your teacher's." Scott said.
"He was also my Coach. He benched me for the entire season."
"What did you do?"
"I got a couple of red cards."
"Just a couple?" Stiles asked with skepticism.
When all Liam did was glance over at Stiles, Y/n crouched down in front of Liam and she gave him a look, one her mother used to give her when she wasn't telling her everything as a child. "Liam, you've gotta be honest with us. What else happened?"
"Nothing." He insisted, but when she raised a brow at him, he told them more. "I got kicked out of school. They sent me to a psychologist for an evaluation."
"What did they call it?" Scott asked when he crouched next to Y/n.
"Intermittent Explosive Disorder."
"I.E.D.?" Stiles said. "You're literally an I.E.D.? That's great. That's great." He smiled sarcastically at Scott. "You gave super powers to a walking time bomb." He gave a thumbs up which Scott ignored as he asked Liam another question.
"Did they give you anything for it?"
"Risperdal. It's an antipsychotic."
"Oh, this just get's better." Stiles commented.
"But I don't take it."
"Obviously."
"Stiles, give it a rest." Y/n chastised and Stiles rolled his eyes, but still did as told.
"I can't play lacrosse on it. It makes me too tired." Liam said.
"Okay. I think you should bail out of the game. Tell Coach your leg is still hurting." Scott told him.
"No, no!" Liam hastily stood up making Y/n and Scott stand as well. "I can do this. Especially if you two are there."
"But, Liam, it's not just about the game. We think whoever killed Demarco might be on our team."
"Who's Demarco?"
"The one who brought the beer to the party." Stiles informed. "The guy who was beheaded. Remember?"
"We think the person who ordered the keg killed Demarco." Scott added.
Liam looked down as he remembered something, and Y/n noticed this. "Liam, do you know something?"
"I don't know who ordered the keg. But I know who payed for it. Garrett."
...
People start gathering at the lacrosse field, the players prepping for the game and the spectators taking their seats to watch. Y/n sits on the bleachers, closer to the players than normal so she could be there for Kira. Kira had gotten a position on the team and it was her first game. Y/n thought Kira could use the girl support, especially seeing as Malia had been with Lydia all day as the banshee tried to divine something else from the other world, and neither of them were there.
Y/n listened as Stiles walked up to Scott and Kira, his phone to his ear talking to his dad. "Hey, Dad, you're supposed to be here. Where the hell are you?" Stiles dumped his gear behind the bench and sat next to Kira.
"I'm leaving now. And this conversation isn't getting me there any quicker." Stiles grumbled when Noah hung up with him.
...
Noah had grabbed his coat and was just leaving his office when Jordan stopped him. "Sheriff, I know you're in a hurry, but I was out on patrol and I found someone walking from the coast to the high school."
"That's gotta be at least 15 miles." Noah was confused.
"She was pretty determined." He turned and Noah's attention was directed to Meredith who was standing nearby.
"I'm looking for Y/n and Lydia." She said.
...
Y/n got a call and when she saw who it was she frowned, puzzled. "Sheriff? Aren't you supposed to be on your way here?"
He sighed. "I was, but something came up. I need you and Lydia to come down to the station. Someone was dead set on talking to you two."
She was even more confused now. "Who?"
"Meredith Walker." Her expression morphed into a look of surprise when he said that name.
"Looks like we're missing the game then, aren't we?"
"Looks like it."
It was her time to sigh as she assured Noah she would find Lydia and they'd be there soon. She hung up and made her way down to Stiles. "Stiles." She called when she got next to him, and he frowned up at her apologetic expression. "I'm sorry, but something came up. I have to find Lydia."
"What? Why?" He asked as he stood up to face her better.
"I'm not exactly sure yet, but I've got a feeling it's important."
"What about Garrett?"
"Just watch your guys' ass." She started to walk away then.
"I'd rather watch yours." He called after her and she smiled at him over her shoulder.
...
Noah led Y/n, Lydia, and Malia into the station where Meredith was waiting. "I'm aware this is probably about the dead pool, but I can't let her leave the station. And, in a minute, I'm gonna have to call Eichen House and let them know she's here."
"Give us an hour." Lydia says.
"You got 15 minutes."
"That's plenty." Y/n assured Lydia when the girl lightly rolled her eyes. "Come on." She urged and the three girls walked into the Sheriff's office.
"You called them?" Jordan asked Noah before he could follow.
"Yeah."
"Because Meredith asked for them or because of the other thing?"
"What other thing?"
Jordan glanced behind him to make sure no one was listening. "The psychic thing." Jordan had been with Lydia when she found the bodies the Walcotts had been storing in a hidden room in their house, with no logical reason as to how she knew they were there besides being psychic. As for Y/n, aside from the few things he's heard around town about her being strange, there was something about her that gave him the sense that she was special like Lydia.
"You think they're psychic?"
"Do you?"
"No, I do not." He denied. "I think that they are, uh... Intuitive."
"That's what they used to call psychics. Intuitionists."
"Yeah, and I used to call myself a rational human being. Get in here and shut the door." Jordan did as asked, and as soon as the door was shut, Noah sighed and looked at the two girls he had called in. "Ask what you need to ask."
Lydia held her phone out to Meredith, giving her an expectant smile when the girl looked up at her. Meredith hesitantly took it, but did nothing more. "Meredith, aren't you going to answer it?" Lydia asked.
Meredith stood and leaned towards her to speak quietly. "It's not ringing." Meredith gave an awkward smile as she sat back down.
Lydia exhaled, realizing this might be harder than she thought. "Messages don't always come the same as before." Y/n reminded.
"Then what are we supposed to do?" The red-head asked, starting to get exasperated already.
Y/n didn't answer, and instead sat next to Meredith, giving her a kind smile. "Meredith, why did you come looking for us?"
She looked at Lydia. "She called me."
"What do you mean I called you?"
"I heard you."
"She must have heard you while you were looking for answers all day." Y/n explained to Lydia.
"Meredith, can I ask you a question?" Jordan asked, stepping forward. Meredith nodded, straightening up in her seat as he crouched in front of her. "When you need help, when you need to find something, is there someone you reach out to? Maybe someone you call?"
She tilted her head left to right as she thought. "It depends. Different people for different things."
"So maybe there's a number that can help us? Someone we can call."
"Yes." She smiled.
"Would you be okay telling us?"
"Yes." Lydia crouched next to Jordan as she gently took her phone back, ready to put in the digits as Meredith gave them. "It's 2... 4... 3... 6." Then she stopped, smiling at them as she finished, because she was able to help.
"Mer, we need a few more numbers." Malia said.
"No." Lydia looked hopeful until then, but closed her eyes in disappointment. "That's the number."
"Phone numbers are 10 digits."
"That's the number." She insisted.
"Meredith, phone numbers always have 10 digits." Lydia's tone was tight, trying to remain calm as she probed for the answers she wanted.
"That's the number."
Lydia was quickly losing her temper. "Meredith-" Noah swiftly intervened.
"Lydia. Hey. Come here." He gently took her by the shoulders, and she stood up to face him with a frustrated sigh.
"You did good, Meredith." Y/n quietly assured the girl, trying to calm her rising anxiety.
"I think that's the best we're gonna get." Noah said to Lydia.
"No." She denied. "There has to be more." She whipped around to stare down at her fellow banshee. "What's the rest of it, Meredith? Hmm?" She snapped before she yelled. "Just concentrate!"
"But that's- that's- that's the number." Meredith insisted with a stutter.
"Lydia, stop." Y/n called.
"Just concentrate." Lydia didn't yell but her tone wasn't any softer.
Y/n stood up to block her friend from the emotional girl behind her. "Lydia! That's enough. She's not gonna just suddenly spill information with you berating her." Lydia turned away, not wanting to accept that, but she knew Y/n was right. They weren't going to get anymore from Meredith.
"That's- that's the number. That's the number."
"It's okay, sweetheart. We're-" Noah went to put a reasurring hand on Meredith's shoulders, but she had been pushed to the edge.
She jumped up and shoved his hands away with a shout. "That's the number!"
"It's okay, Meredith. You're all right." Y/n slowly put her hand on Meredith's shoulder, trying to ease her stress. It seemed to work, if only a little, and the banshee let the witch guide her to another seat where she could sit alone. After a few minutes Y/n went back into the office with Malia and Lydia while Jordan and Noah stayed with Meredith to wait for someone from Eichen to pick her up. Lydia sat in Noah's chair, staring at the paper she wrote the four numbers down on. "They have a meaning," Y/n assured, "we just need to figure out what it is."
Lydia didn't answer, just sighed and rubbed her forehead. Malia, trying to help, took the paper and threw it away, deciding that just staring at it wouldn't help. Her eyes drifted to the office phone the Sheriff had on the desk, noticing the numbers where occompanied with letters, and an idea came to her. "Guys, what if it's like Algebra?"
"What do you mean?" Lydia asked tiredly.
She turned the phone around for Lydia to see. "What if the numbers are actually letters?"
"Malia, that's brilliant!" Y/n praised as she quickly handed a nearby notepad and pen to Lydia, where the girl wrote down the letters associated with the numbers they were given.
A B C G H I D E F M N O
Lydia scanned the letters and noticed a name right away. "Oh, God..." She circled five letters.
"Oh." Y/n muttered as she realized who was the key for the next third of the list. Lydia grabbed her computer and pulled up the encrypted dead pool, typing in the key. The three girls watched as the next set of names were revealed, and when they saw one in particular Y/n rushed to call Stiles.
C:// KEYWORD: AIDEN
KATE ARGENT 10
NOSHIKO YUKIMURA 4
JOANE MCLAUGHLIN 500
STEVE GRACE 500
TOM HILL 500
BRETT TALBOT 1
REED SCHALL 250
RICHARD BENEFIELD 250
JACK MARSLAND 250
JOY WALDROP 250
CHERYL CALIX 250
JORDAN PARRISH 5
Brett Talbot from Devenford was in imminent danger. While Malia and Y/n went to another room to warn the others about Brett, Lydia stayed in the office, her eyes glued to the name at the bottom of the list, one she never expected to see. Jordan opened the door and Lydia jumped, swiftly closing her laptop and looking at him. "Sorry, I was just seeing if you guys were okay. You need a ride home?"
"Uh, no. We'll be fine." She locked eyes with Y/n who was still on the phone, the name not being lost on the witch. Jordan gave Lydia a smile and left her be. Her lips formed a thin line as she opened her computer again and stared once again.
Jordan Parrish was a supernatural. But what was he?
~~~
Published: 1/5/22
Edited: 4/12/22
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