Killer | Derek Hale

THE DARK AND THE LIGHT

"Is this the high school?"

Derek and Scott looked around them at the rows of lockers that lined the hallway. Colin had snapped his fingers seconds before and they'd been transported to Beacon Hills high school.

"The nogitsune trapped her inside of a high school?"

"Or Maia is hiding in it."

They cautiously creeped down the empty hallway. They peered through every classroom door and searched for any sign of her.

They were about to give up but a light above them began to flicker. They looked up in curiosity before noticing that the light moved to the next one down the row.

The lights kept flickering, leading them to the locker room. Once they stood in front of the door, the lights shut off completely.

Derek took a deep breath before slowly turning the door knob. He pushed it open gently. Both of them instantly poked their heads through, searching as much as they could from the doorway.

Once it was clear, they encouraged themselves to step into the room. They slowly crept down the row of lockers, passing by the sinks and the benches. The darkness around them made it difficult to see but the claw marks around them were clear.

As they came across the showers, they stopped in their tracks. Their hearts dropped in fear as they saw a figure huddled in the corner.

Their hair was covering their face even as it was buried behind their hands. Their knees were pulled tightly to their chest and they were pressed into the corner as much as possible.

They almost didn't recognize her, but the glint of her necklace gave her away.

"Maia?"

She whimpered softly in response. It was barely audible, but it was there. She curled up even more, trying to put distance between them.

Derek tip toed forward, but kept a good distance between them, "Maia, we're here. Okay? It's me. It's Derek."

Her glimmering eyes peeked through her curtain of hair. She saw his face standing in contrast to the darkness she'd become accustomed to.

His eyes threatened to water as he saw her broken down figure. Behind him, Scott was the same way. They both waited with baited breath as she glanced over them.

She seemed to have hope for a small second. But it fell when she realized where she still was. She shook her head in denial and buried her face again.

"You're not real," she murmured. Her voice shook softly and her hands trembled.

Derek moved back to Scott's side and turned to him.

"Do you still have that picture you found in her keepsake box?"

Scott nodded and pulled out the photo from his pocket. He placed it in Derek's hand and the man held it up for Maia to see.

"We're your friends," Derek explained, "We know you. We know Colin."

Her cries stopped momentarily. She sniffled and pulled her head out from her arms. They could see her full face now.

It was covered in scratches and bruises. Dried blood and dirt crusted over almost every inch of her skin.

They stayed still as Maia slowly pulled herself to her feet, using the wall to support herself. Her legs shook beneath her, making the walk unbearably difficult.

She stepped closer to them. She reached out and her fingers grazed the flimsy picture. She softly smiled lovingly at Colin's face, forgetting her troubles for a brief moment.