When Our Eyes Are Red [s.m][2]

Chapter 16

"Too many ways out. We need something secure. Somewhere nobody can find us," Scott struck her idea down before Stiles looked at Levi, the most obvious solution springing into his mind.

"The vault." Levi's eyes widened as Stiles spoke out.

"The Hale vault. The Hales always have an escape route. Like their house. There has to be another way in."

Levi looked between them all. "There is."

//.//

"It's happening to you too. You're getting sick. You all are," Kira's dad said, studying the rash on Stiles' arm. He looked frantically between the five teenagers, seeing confusion and panic in their eyes.

"I don't feel sick!" Kira exclaimed, looking at her dad in confusion. He looked down with a short sigh as he rummaged through papers in front of him.

"I think it's affecting you differently, neurologically. I found your test answers here in a pile with the others," He explained, holding up Kira's SAT test paper so that they all could see. Levi leaned forward so she could see and felt a wave of shock flow through her. Kira hadn't even been circling the dots, but had just been drawing random circles across her sheet. 

Scott looked up, his eyes matching Levi's confused stare. They paused for a second before Levi looked around.

"Right, let's go."

///.///

The five teenagers ran down the stairs and closer to the basement of the school. Levi knew that there was another entrance to her family's vault near here, but she wasn't sure exactly as to where it was.

"Hey, guys... Over here." Stiles motioned, while Scott and Levi moved the cabinet from in front of where he was standing. Levi knew it was this instantly, seeing that there was the symbol that marked her vault.

   "Look at the cracks in the wall." He pointed to the triskelion symbol across the wall.  "It's like the entrance outside, it only opens with claws. Anyone's claws, right?"

"Um... Malia, can you try?" Scott asked Malia, ignoring as Levi's face scrunched up in confusion. She had thought that only claws from a Hale could open the vault - but then again, she might have been wrong. 

The were coyote tilted her head, studying the two boys intently. Levi also watched closely, confused as to why Scott hadn't just asked her. "Why me?" Malia asked, a frown now apparent. 

"I don't have control." Scott said, but even with that being partially true, Levi knew that he was now doing this out of an ulterior motive.

Malia stared between the two boys for a second longer, narrowing her eyes as she studied their anxious movements. She could also feel Levi's confusion and this only hyped her up. "Okay. I'll do it." The boys and Kira let out obvious sighs of relief but Malia hadn't finished. "But first tell me what you've been hiding from me."

Levi stepped up beside Malia as the two boys looked frantically between each other.

"I know you think you're trying to protect me, but I can handle it. I know I'm on the list." Malia said, and Levi felt her confusion gain as they both visibly relaxed.

"Yes..." Stiles said softly, and while Malia hadn't known the boy for long enough to tell something was not right with his answer, Levi did. She was starting to get an uneasy feeling about the way the boys were acting along with Kira.

"So how much?" Malia asked.

"How much what?"

"How much am I worth?"