Effects of Darkness [Book Two]

18: All Three

Ariel folds her arms over her chest as she leans against the wall, watching as Stiles and Sky explain what had happened at the hospital. From the Alpha pack hunting Jennifer to Melissa being taken and Scott going with Deucalion.

"I don't believe it," Lydia shakes her head in disbelief as they stand in her bedroom. "Scott can't really be with them. He can't be."

"Well, you better believe it," Sky says with a click of her tongue, rolling her eyes. "The idiot thinks he can solve everything himself."

Stiles sighs, "You didn't see the look on his face," he tells Lydia.

Sky scowls, "What, disgust?"

Stiles shakes his head, "When you left. There was the same look I saw on my mother when the doctors told her there was nothing they could do. It was total hopelessness."

"Then what do I do?" Lydia asks, confused. "I mean, I get that I'm like some kind of human Geiger counter for death. But I don't know how to turn it on and off yet. All I know is she tried to kill me because of --"

Ariel frowns, "Wait, we know why she tried to kill me. I could have revealed her identity straight away had I known better but did she say why she wanted you dead?" she wonders.

Lydia's eyes widen as she realises something, "Ariel, do you remember what she said right before she tried to kill me?"

Ariel blinks, "Uh, no. I think I was pretty out of it."

"What?" Stiles pushes. "Lydia, what?"

"When called me a Banshee, she was surprised by it," Lydia reveals. "What if that's not why she tried to kill me?"

Sky groans, rubbing her forehead, "My head hurts. Explain, please."

"She wanted to kill me for another reason other than for what I am. We need to find out what."

Ariel checks her phone, "And we need to get to school before we're late."

***

The shrill of the warning bell for the next period makes Ariel wince and groan silently as she and Sky walk behind Stiles and Lydia down the corridor past their lockers.

"Aiden's not texting me back," Lydia says as she checks her phone ahead of them.

"Here," Sky whispers, passing Ariel a bottle of water.

Ariel sends her a thankful smile but stops, nearly bumping into Stiles as he comes to a standstill in front of them as he stares down at his phone, the sound of his heartbeat pumping wildly in her ears making her instantly worry.

"Stiles?" Lydia calls out cautiously.

Sky moves closer to him, frowning, "Stiles, buddy, tell us what's wrong."

"Oh, God, what is it?" Lydia worries.

Swallowing, Stiles lifts his head up to look at Sky, and Ariel feels her stomach drop at the horrified look on his face, "It's from Isaac," he tells Sky quietly. "Jennifer has Allison's father. She has him."

Sky's face drops, "No," she breathes, her face looking pale.

"She's got all three of them now," Stiles finishes, shakily putting his phone back into his pocket.

Sky shakes her head to herself, stepping away from them, "I -- I need to --" She stutters quietly with heavy breaths, before darting away from them and heading into the closest bathroom.