Becoming The Shadows (Shadow Series #4)

26 - Allison

The window to Sheriff Stilinski's office is hard to see through even with the blinds open. Lydia peers inside from the bench just outside his office and I watch from Parrish's desk. 

Meredith was arrested and escorted into the Sheriff's station to be questioned. Stiles was taken to the hospital because of a concussion and I stayed with Lydia at the station. We wanted to know how Meredith was behind the deadpool. It's hard to believe that she's the Benefactor here.

Tonight was a wild night for all of us. From the situation that happened to Stiles and Lydia to Scott, Liam, and Kira nearly being burned to death by more deputies at the school's bonfire. 

Lydia and I jump to our feet when we see Sheriff Stilinski exit his office and shutting the door behind him to keep Meredith inside. We rush towards him ready to hammer him with questions. 

"What did she say?" Lydia demands, desperate for answers. 

"Hard to tell. There were words. I'm not sure there were actual sentences." Sheriff Stilinski stands in front of us with his arm in a sling. The bullet from Haigh's gun had placed him in the hospital for a couple of days. 

"Nothing." Lydia sighs, slightly annoyed. She sits back down on the bench.

"I think we need a psychologist." Sheriff Stilinski picks up the  phone on someone's desk. He holds it between his shoulder and cheek while punching in a number with his fingers. "Or a medium."

I peer back inside the office at the back of Meredith's head. "Is she even competent enough to be charged with something?"

Sheriff Stilinski puts the phone back down."If Meredith is the Benefactor then that means she was competent enough to trick Kate into opening the Hale vault, competent enough to blackmail Brunski into helping her, and competent enough to create a hit list and pay out money for its completion. This girl's practically a criminal mastermind."

There's so much more to Meredith than any of us know. 

Lydia whispers, "There's gotta be a reason why she would do this."

Sheriff glances between the two of us. "I'm only interested in the 'why', if it tells me the 'how'." 

"You mean how to stop it?" I ask. A vibration goes off from my phone in my jacket pocket and I fish it out to see a message from my dad.

"After what happened to Scott tonight, this thing's still going. The payments could be automatic and as long as the killers are getting paid- and paid very well- the list is gonna keep getting smaller."

Lydia gives both of us a look, understanding what he means. "We don't just need to stop the deadpool."

"We need to stop the money." I heave a sigh. I weigh my phone in my hand, weakly smiling. "I want to stay and help, but-"

"No, it's okay. You should go home." Sheriff Stilinski cuts me off before I could even finish my sentence. "Both of you." He turns his head towards Lydia.

I nod once, "Call if you need anything." I point my finger to Lydia before rushing out of the station to the black SUV waiting for me. 

I nearly started crying when dad gave me Allison's bow. The weight was slightly different, but nothing that I couldn't adjust to. I had found myself standing in my sister's room in front of the mirror. I stood there for more than twenty minutes, focusing on changing my appearance. 

Right now, I need my sister more than anything. She can't physically be with me, but I know she's with me in a different way. If I really am a shapeshifter, I should be able to match the shape of anyone. I still have the faint memory of Allison saying that I can't be my old self again.