Chapter 15
"Hi, Kira." I smile as she opens her locker. "I didn't know your locker was here."
"I usually get to school early because of my dad." She nods as she begins packing things away. "But today I overslept."
"How is everything going?" I close my locker and turn to face her.
"It's alright, I guess." She shrugs. "You're kinda the only person that has spoken to me-"
"Really?" She doesn't have any friends?
"It's fine. I'm not really that talkative."
"That reminds me a lot of my sister." I laugh with an eye roll.
"You have a sister?" She closes her locker with wide eyes. "Where is she?"
"She's in South America. Uh...boarding school."
I don't like lying to people but I don't really want to get into the whole 'my family was murdered in a fire when I was 11' rant.
"What about you?" I ask quickly as we begin walking to class.
"Nope. It's just me." She breathes.
"It must get lonely."
"It's okay, I'm used to it." I feel a pang in my stomach as her heart skips a beat. She is lonely...
"Hey, Kira." I stop as I look over at her. "If you want you can eat lunch with me and my friends." Her eyes widen.
"Really?"
"Yeah, they're all pretty nice people so you don't have to worry too much."
"That'll be great, thanks."
"I'll see you then." I smile before we go our separate ways. I quickly make my way to class before Coach has an excuse to blow a whistle in my face. I enter and take a seat in front of Stiles. I turn around to face him and Scott."Hey." Stiles doesn't look up but keeps his eyes focused on his page. I furrow my brows and look over to Scott who just shrugs his shoulders.
"Okay, listen up you degenerates..." Coach walks into the class and stops in the front. I let out a breath and rest my head on my hand.
This is going to be a long day...
"Stilinski, you paying attention back there?" I jump at the sudden loud noise. I turn around and spot Stiles furiously scribbling on the page.
"Stiles." I whisper but he doesn't move.
"Stilinski." Coach begins to raise his voice. "Stilinski!" Coach rolls his eyes before blowing his whistle. Stiles jumps and looks at Coach with wide eyes. "Stilinski!" Stiles looks around the class in a daze.
"Uh-huh?"
"I asked you a question."
"Uh...sorry coach. What was it?"
"It was 'Stilinski, are you paying attention back there?'"
"Oh. Well... I am now." He replies slowly.
"Stilinski, stop reminding me why I drink..." I furrow my brows. "Every night."
"Wow, coach." I mutter under my breath. I turn around to face Stiles as Coach continues the lesson.
"I'm okay. I just fell asleep for a second." He shakes his head, looking over to me and Scott. Scott furrows his brows.
"Dude. You weren't asleep." He motions to the page in front of Stiles. He follows his gaze and stares at it. I glance down and see the words 'wake up' written all over it, in different ways and fonts. He turns the page upside down quickly with a worried look on his face.
"Stiles, are you okay?" I whisper. He runs his hands through his hair while looking at the spot his page used to be.
"I don't know."
"Okay, so what happens to a person who has a near-death experience and comes out of it seeing things?" Scott asks from next to me on the bench.
"And is unable to tell what's real or not?" Stiles adds.
"And is being haunted by demonic visions of dead relatives?" Allison also adds.
"They're all locked up because they're insane." Isaac concludes from in front of me. I roll my eyes as I dart my eyes around the area.
still nothing...
"Ha. Can you at least try to be helpful, please?" Stiles asks.
"For half my childhood, I was locked in a freezer. So being helpful is kind of a new thing for me."
"Okay, do we...are you still milking that?" Stiles squints his eyes.
"Yeah, we're still milking that." I let out a breath as I continue writing in my book.
"Hi." A smile overtakes my lips as I look up to see Kira standing in front of our table. "Hi, Sorry, I couldn't help overhearing what you guys were talking about. And I think I actually might know what you're talking about." She takes a deep breath. "There's a Tibetan word for it. It's called Bardo. It literally means 'in-between state.' The state between life and death."
"And what do they call you?" Lydia asks callously.
"Kira." I say pointedly to Lydia. "She's my friend." I look back over to Kira with a smile. "Glad you made it."
"So are you talking Bardo in Tibetan Buddhism or Indian?" Lydia continues.
"Either, I guess." She replies sitting down next to Stiles. "But all the stuff you guys were just saying? All that happens in Bardo. There are different progressive states where you can have hallucinations. Some you see, some you just hear. And you can be visited by peaceful and wrathful deities."
"Wrathful deities? And what are those?" Isaac asks.
"Like Demons."
"Demons. Why not?" Stiles states sarcastically. I subtly kick him from my spot next to him.
"Ow." He winces, turning to give me, what I assume is supposed to be a glare. I give him my own one making him look away hurriedly muttering something about sourwolves.
"Hold on, if there are different progressive states, then what's the last one?" Allison asks with furrowed brows.
"Death." Kira states nonchalantly. "You die." My heart drops. I exchange looks with everyone else at the table, all wearing matching expressions to my own.
what now?
"Anyway..." I shake my head and turn to her. "Kira, these are my friends."
"It sounds like your subconscious is trying to communicate with you." Deaton suggests as we walk into the Vet Clinic.
"Well, how do I tell my subconscious to use a language that I actually know?" Stiles asks.
"Do you remember what the sign language looked like? Like the placement and movement of the hands?"
"You know sign language?" Scott questions.
"I know a little. Let me give it a shot."
"Okay, the first one was like this." Stiles places one index finger in the air and moves the other one around it.
"That's 'when'."
"Then there was this." He puts his hands out in front of him and moves one back. "Twice."
"That's 'door'."
"And then it was this in between them." He puts his thumb under his chin and brings it back towards his hand.
"That's it?"
"Yeah."
"What does it mean?" I ask slowly.
"When is a door, not a door." Deaton states. I squint my eyes.
What?
"When is a door, not a door?" Stiles asks in disbelief.
"Maybe you have a concussion?"
"When it's ajar." Scott mutters.
"You're kidding me. A riddle?" Stiles asks looking at us. "My subconscious wants to tell me a riddle?"
"Not necessarily." Deaton replies to Stiles. "When the three of you went under the water, when you crossed from unconsciousness to a kind of super-consciousness, you essentially opened a door in your minds."
"So what does that mean? The door's still open?" Scott asks.
"Ajar."
"A door into our minds." Stiles states.
"I did tell you it was risky."
"What do we do about it?"
"Well, that's difficult to answer."
"Oh, no, wait a second, I know that look. That's the 'we know exactly what's wrong with you, but we have no idea how to fix it' look." Stiles says.
"One thing I do know is that having an opening like that into your mind, it's not good. You each need to close that door. And you need to do it as soon as possible." Scott and Stiles nod their heads and exchange a look before heading towards the door.
"I'm coming now, just give me a sec." I turn my head back to Deaton who looks at me expectantly. "Doc... You're still the emissary for my family so I wondering if you could help me?"
"What about?" He asks crossing his arms over his chest.
"You know how werewolves become powerless during a lunar eclipse?" He nods. "I didn't." His eyes look away from mine as he stares off into the distance.
"I see..." He furrows his brows. "Did anything else happen? Besides you shifting?"
"Not that I know of... but I get this feeling that Derek is hiding something from me."
"How so?"
"When Derek told Argent to look after me, he said he didn't recognize me that night of the lunar eclipse."
"Well, that could be taken different ways." He quirks his head to the side.
"I know but I just... I just get the feeling something changed when I shifted that night."
"Have you asked him?"
"No I haven't... he left so suddenly and then I went to the Argents- wait... something else happened. The other night, I had a nightmare. It felt real. This man with a bandaged face approached me at the Nemeton and said something...what was it?" I rake my brain trying to remember the word. "Something with an 'o' I think." His eyes widen slightly. "What? Do you know something?"
"Uh- I don't know what the dream meant but dreams are always filled with hidden meanings so I wouldn't read too much into it-"
"I wouldn't either but after he said that word, I woke up suddenly to Argent and Allison holding me down. Somehow I shifted during the night and started losing control."
"You didn't hurt anyone?"
"No, no they were fine. I just- I don't know what happened." He stares off in silence for a few moments before turning back to me.
"I'll do some reading and get back to you. Just let me know if anything else happens."
"Thank you, Deaton." I smile at him before turning around to walk outside.
"Nina." I look over my shoulder at him. "Don't worry too much. We'll figure it out." I nod my head before walking outside the Vet Clinic. I stop outside the door as I notice Mr. Stilinski talking to Scott and Stiles.
"-and what if it was a werewolf?" Stiles asks his dad.
"Well, there's somebody out there who murdered an entire family. Someone who still needs to be caught."
Someone possibly killed an entire family?
I walk over to the three of them determinedly.
"I know what it's like to lose your family." Stilinski turns his gaze to me. "So if there's anything I can do to help, just let me know."
"Okay, remember what we talked about, Stiles?" I whisper as we stand outside Mr. Tate's back door. "Subtle."
"If I remember correctly it was you who had trouble with being subtle."
"Let's not point fingers here, Stiles."
"But you-"
"Guys." Scott interrupts as he nods towards the door.
"Sorry." I mutter following after him. "He started it." I mutter under my breath. I take a big, gentle step over a metal trap and give a smug look to Stiles. "You see that." My foot suddenly slips and I stumble forward into Scott's back. He turns around and helps me to my feet.
"Subtle." They both whisper, causing me to roll my eyes. Stiles walks up to the door and pushes it open gently.
creak
"Stiles..." I whisper. The noise is like nails on a chalkboard in this quiet house.
"I'm trying." He goes to open the door more.
creak
I squeeze my eyes shut as the noise becomes louder. He opens the door quickly and we all rush inside before he closes it gently. He turns to me with a glare.
"Don't even say it." I give him a smug smile before looking around the room. Stiles picks up a stuffed toy and passes it to Scott who passes it to me. I give it a sniff but all I smell is... animal?
"Get anything?" Stiles asks finding some more things to stuff into our faces.
"No." I say sniffing something else.
"I don't know about you, but all I'm getting is some animal smell." Scott says.
"What kind of animal?" Stiles asks.
"I don't know... it's kinda familiar but-" I sniff the toy again.
"Dog." Scott's body stiffens.
"That's it!" I whisper-yell. "It's a dog." Scott nudges my side as I hear growling. I freeze before following Scott's gaze to the hallway. A very annoyed Rottweiler dog stands with, what I can assume to be, a glare on its face. Stiles slides the toy into his jacket, not so subtly.
"Hi, puppy."
"Hi, puppy?" I ask mockingly.
"Got anything better?" Stiles asks. When I say nothing, he continues. "Thought so. Now get rid of it."
"How." Scott asks.
"Glow your eyes. Do something."
"I can't. I don't have control."
"I can try but I don't know how much power I'll have against a Rottweiler dog." Stiles give me an exasperated look.
"You're half dog. Think of something." I roll my eyes before bending down and glowing them at the dog. It calms down for a few seconds before growling louder than before. "Nope." I quickly stand up and step behind Stiles. "It doesn't like me."
"Scott, you're up. Be the Alpha, come on."
"I can't."
"Okay, buddy, you're going to have to try something." Scott moves towards the dog with his hand outstretched. "
"Nice doggy." I shake my head as a smile threatens my lips.
he's trying at least?
I suddenly jump and grab onto someone's arm as the dog begins barking.
"Apollo!" Mr. Tate shouts. "Apollo! Shut up! Shut the hell up!" Apollo immediately closes his mouth and stares at us for a moment before walking away with a wince.
"What even?" I whisper watching the dog casually walk away.
"Nina." Stiles speaks up with a strained voice. "Do you mind not cutting off my blood supply?"
"Sorry." I immediately release my grip on his arm as he pulls it away quickly. He shakes it out a few times before heading to fetch another toy.
"Here, try that." He passes it to Scott who gives it a light-hearted sniff. "Anything?"
"All I'm getting is that dog." Stiles lets out a breath as he stares at the dresser. He freezes before taking a photo of a picture frame.
"What you got there?" I question leaning forward to get a better look. It's a photo of Malia and her sister.
"Might be useful." He shrugs as we turn around to leave.
"Let's get out of here before Apollo returns." We make our way out of the house and back to Stiles' jeep. We drive for a bit and meet Stilinski further up the road.
"I'm sorry. We tried as hard as we could. If it wasn't so long ago, we might have been able to do it." Scott apologizes to him.
"It's okay. It was a long shot. In fact, it was a pretty terrible idea. I think I just ripped a wound open in that poor man. I never should have brought you guys here. I don't know what I was thinking. Thanks for trying, all right?" He gives us a nod before turning to Stiles.
"See you at home." He gets into the car and drives off.
"Aren't there a lot of cases that go unsolved?" Scott asks.
"Yeah, I just think this is one he felt like he could've figured out right now."
"Why is it so important now?"
"He wants to be able to solve one more while he's still Sheriff."
"Still Sheriff?" I question.
"What does that mean." Scott asks. Stiles let out a breath before turning to Scott.
"Your dad. He's conducting a case for impeachment against my dad." My eyes widen.
"He wants to get your dad fired?" I ask in disbelief. Stiles nods slowly before he heads back to his jeep. I turn my head to Scott to see a look of anger take over his features. I don't blame him though.
His dad, who walked out on him and his mom, is getting his best friend's dad fired.
That's gotta be rough.
"Remind me again why I'm here?" I ask as I step over another log. My eyes gaze out at the barren forest ahead of me before looking to Stiles.
"Well, we're kinda like a team now, you know." He shrugs. "And Scott insisted we bring you with." I stop walking.
"You wanted to bring me with you to find a dead body?" He opens his mouth like a fish before turning to Stiles who pats him on the back.
"That's all on you, buddy." He then walks further into the woods glancing at the GPS on Scott's phone.
"How romantic." I say with sarcasm.
"Romantic?" His brows furrow as I stiffen.
"Well... I was just-" I struggle.
I don't even know if Scott and I are in a relationship. We only kissed once after all and we haven't really spoken about it...
"I'm kidding. It's really romantic." He gives me a dimpled smile before walking off after Stiles. I let out a breath as my heart thumps in my chest before following after the two.
"You know if my dad's right. That means there's another werewolf in town that we haven't met yet." Stiles says as we trek through the woods.
"I know." Scott replies taking his phone from Stiles.
"If it turns out to be something like triplets that form into, like, a three-headed hound of hell, I'm seriously not up for that."
"You and me both, buddy." I say patting Stiles' back.
"Me either. Especially if I can't even control my own transformation anymore." Stiles stops walking and turns to face me.
"Could you and Cora do that.. you know-"
"Mutant wolf thing?" I scoff. "No, don't wanna know and definitely don't wanna try."
Stiles suddenly grabs onto my arm as a coyote howls in the distance. He nudges Scott in the process causing the phone in his hand to drop down a hill and fall into a puddle of water. Scott turns around slowly with a glare on his face.
"Sorry, buddy." Stiles says sheepishly.
"Stiles." He looks over at me. "Do you mind not cutting off my blood supply?" He rolls his eyes but releases his grip anyway.
"Says the one with supernatural strength." He mutters as we start climbing down. "You know I hate coyotes so much. They always sound like they're mauling some tiny, helpless little animal."
"Well, maybe they are." I say with a smirk as I follow Scott down.
"Ha, very helpful." He starts to climb down but slips and skids to a stop at the bottom. He then tries to stand up cooly but fails miserably. I shake my head and look away quickly.
"It still works." Scott says as he dries the screen of his phone.
"Let me see the flashlight." Stiles mutters, taking it from Scott. I follow his gaze to see something in the distance.
"Bingo." I mutter as my eyes look over at the turned-over car.
"Uh... Why wouldn't they move it? Isn't it evidence?" Scott asks when we reach it.
"Probably too much of a pain in the ass to tow out." Stiles shines the light revealing some claw marks. "Look at this. See those?" Scott runs his hand over the marks and they fit perfectly. "Animal claws would be closer together, right? A lot closer."
"Then it was a werewolf."
"My dad was right." Stiles bends down to look inside the car. I kneel down next to him and see a weird object poking out the side of the car.
"What's over there?" Stiles pulls it out as we all stand up. It's just a doll. A very creepy-looking doll at that.
"I'm hungry."
I scream and jump back, falling onto my butt in the leaves. Stiles drops the doll and it lands right next to me.
"Man, that's messed up." I quickly get up and move away from that possessed doll.
"I think I just had a minor heart attack." Stiles says clutching his heart. Just when I thought things couldn't get creepier, a growl sounds. I look up to see a coyote staring at us.
"Please tell me you see that." Scott asks.
"I see it." I say staring at the coyote.
"Me too." Stiles says after standing up. The coyote snarls one last time before running off. Scott chases after it. "Wait, hey Scott!" Stiles yells after him.
"Stiles, stay here." I say before sprinting after him.
"Nina! Scott! Wait! Oh, come on guys!" I keep running as fast as I can until I end up a bit behind him.
I have no idea why we are chasing a coyote in the first place... maybe it's an Alpha thing?
I cry out as something sharp enters my ankle. I fall to the ground to see my ankle stuck in a trap. Scott turns around to me with wide eyes.
"Scott, I'm okay. Keep going!" I yell to him. He looks at me then back at the fading coyote. "Scott, Go!" He takes one last glance before sprinting after the coyote. I look back down at my foot and groan. More in annoyance than anything else.
Stupid Mr. Tate
I take a deep breath and try to pull the trap apart. I can't. A huff of air escapes my lips as the pain starts kicking in more.
"Come on." I try again but it feels like all my strength has just disappeared.
"Okami." I freeze. My eyes dart up to see that same figure from my nightmare standing next to a tree a few feet from me. Its bandaged skin stands out like a beacon in the moonlight.
what is it doing here? Is it real?
My breathing picks up as it begins slowly limping towards me. I hurriedly put my hands back onto the trap and pull it as hard as I can. I feel my fangs protruding into my gums as I finally rip the metal apart. I scramble to my feet and snarl at the figure.
"What do you want?" It keeps moving towards me. One hobbled step at a time. I try to move back but my ankle throbs with every step. I only manage a few before I have to bend over and rest. The sound of the crunching leaves drawer nearer and nearer until It stops in front of me. I look up into its 'eyes' as it tilts its head to the side. A sickening smile begins to take over its mouth.
"Okami." It drawls in a sickly-sweet, sing-song voice that sends chills up my spine.
"What does that mean?" I stand up taller.
I'm sick of this thing having so much power over me. Real or not.
"Fine." I flick my claws out. "Have it your way." I slash my claws at the figure and manage to slice its bandaged arm. Black blood drips from the wound. I charge forward and tackle it to the ground, raising my claws again...
"Nina! Stop!" The figure yells. I freeze.
That voice sounds oddly familiar...
"Nina. It's me." I close my eyes and open them again to Scott's wide eyes.
"Scott!" I jump off of him and scurry away. "I'm sorry...I thought- "
"It's okay." He breathes out as he slowly gets to his feet. He looks down and offers his hand to me. I go to grab it but stop.
"You're bleeding." I grab his arm and look at the slashes... my heart drops. "Scott..."
"It's healing already." He reassures. I put my hands over my face as a lump forms in my throat.
I hurt Scott. I could've killed him...what's wrong with me?
"I'm sorry...I didn't- I'm sorry." He kneels down to my height and removes my hands from over my face.
"What happened?" His eyes soften.
"I-I saw someone from my dream." He furrows his brows. "It's a long story." My stomach is in knots as we begin our trek back to Stiles.
Who was that person? Why did I have a hallucination out in the middle of the woods? But more importantly... what is he doing to me?
It's not like what Scott, Stiles, and Allison are going through. They know what's happening to them and they're not alone. I have no clue what's going on. I don't what I'm capable of anymore. If it was able to do that to me so easily then what else can it do?
I don't want to hurt anyone...
But I have a feeling deep down, that this is only the beginning...
and that terrifies me.
Season 3B
Episode 1 (Anchors)
Part 2/2
State: edited
Hey guys! :D
I hope you enjoyed this chapter! Let me know what you think!
Stay safe and healthy! â¤
Until next time my fellow wolfies!! :D
-Nicole ^.^