inhuman [2] // teen wolf

40. severity

Riley was really starting to realize the severity of the situation at hand.

Allison almost shot Lydia in the head with an arrow, Stiles can't read properly, and Scott can't transform with full control anymore. Now, Sheriff Stilinski thought that it would be a great idea to bring up an old case that he thinks has to do with werewolves. Of course it had to do werewolves, the problem was the fact that he thought it was a good idea to go through all the unsolved and animal attack cases and put a light on them all once again. As if they didn't have enough problems already. Now, they had to find this girl called Malia Tate, who apparently was lost in the woods somewhere, and was apparently not a girl at all. Sounded like something good to spend their rapidly-decreasing time with, right? Wrong.

Riley hadn't talked much with Isaac, since he loved to spend his time with Allison more than with her. To his defense though, Riley did not try to reach out to Isaac, but the truth is, she was just stubborn. Everyone was doing their own thing on the weekend, which left Riley by herself, for the first time in a long time. Her parents had left the morning before, finally realizing that they had spent far too much time at home and were having work withdrawals. Riley was alright with that, since she didn't really go out of her way to spend time with them, even though that was what they had done for her, for that brief period of time.

She honestly had no idea what to do with Isaac anymore. Sure, she could send him a text and they could hang out, but it wasn't that simple. First, she had to actually think of that idea before coming up with it. Second, she actually had to muster up the courage to bring his phone number up on her phone and then spend ten minutes on how to actually word it, then another five minutes to press the send button and anxiously rip her nails off with her teeth waiting for his response, which would probably come in about 20 minutes depending on where he was and what he was doing. There was no way she would double-text him in this situation, so she prayed that he wouldn't leave it until the next morning to respond when she got over him. Why did Riley feel like this? Why did she put so much thought and time into sending one message to Isaac, someone who had been her best friend for most of her life? She brushed off the questions, ruling it off as something awkward since they haven't spoken in a while. She wasn't very comfortable with it.

She needed to take a load off of all of her problems, and yet, no one was there to let off steam. Maybe Stiles would like to come over for a few drinks... She was in a mood, one where she was particularly wanting something. Wanting a particular someone. Was it so bad that she wanted to let off some steam? What better way than with Stiles, who also needs a little release from the madness surrounding them.

-

Riley ended up forgetting about Stiles entirely when she received a knock on her door at around 7 at night. She was already in her pyjamas (which only consisted of some sweatpants and a sports bra) when she opened the door, which to her surprise, it was some old woman. She looked up at Riley anxiously, but once she took in her features, the woman smiled largely.

"It is you. God, you look so much like her." She said happily, stepping up onto the threshold.

"Sorry, who? And who are you?" She asked strangely, holding onto the door as she waited for a response.

"My name is Noshiko. I am a very old friend of Emma's. May I come in?" She asked, and Riley was lost for words. She just moved aside and let the woman come inside, closing the door behind her as she watched her carefully. Flashbacks tried coming into Riley's mind, but there were too many at once. Flashes of imagery went across her mind in a fraction of a second and she was left with a blur.

"Oh." Was all she could muster. She quickly offered a seat in the lounge room and a cup of tea, which Noshiko took warmly. Riley sat down opposite her with a cup in her hand, but she had no intention of drinking it.

"You're probably wondering how I know your ancestor, since I don't look to be around 500 years old." She laughed, and Riley smiled, tensing at the fact that she knew. How could she know? Who told her? Who even is she?

"It crossed my mind." Riley said, looking down at her coloured water. "How do you know about her?"

"Believe it or not, I am 900 years old. I am a kitsune, which is japanese for fox." She explained. That didn't really help Riley's confusion, though.

"Okay, so how do you know about Emma?" She asked, swirling her drink around the cup before finally taking a small sip. The hot water burned her tongue.

"My family has been in Beacon Hills for generations, until I decided to move back here with my own family. You might know my daughter, Kira?" She asked, using the cup to warm her wrinkly hands.

"I do, yeah. I always thought there was something up with her! Every time I was around her, Emma would freak out." Riley replied loudly, huffing with the realization that there was yet another supernatural creature in the group.

"Yes, well, she is very different to others. But please, if you could, not to mention any of this to her. She does not know much." Noshiko urged, a hint of worry in her voice as she looked at Riley expectantly.

"I guess I won't say anything, but I eventually have to say something to her." She argued, setting her cup down on the coffee table. Noshiko sighed, following Riley's actions as she folded her hands together.

"I know, but please, don't say anything to her. At least not until I talk to her about this." She replied, and Riley pursed her lips. She still wasn't really sure on what a kitsune did, but it wasn't her place to tell Kira what she was.

"I understand." She agreed, nodding slightly at the woman. She smiled back.

"Thank you. But before, did you say that Kira freaked Emma out? How is that possible?" She asked seriously, leaning closer as if Riley was whispering. She frowned, tilting her head as she leaned back in her chair.

"I thought you already knew. Isn't that why you came here?"

"Know what?"

"Emma acts as a shield for me. She's here right now." Riley explained, and Noshiko's small eyes widened as she sat up straight. "You can't feel her?"

"No, I can't. Are you sure she's here? How can this be--"

"Supernaturalis Concustodio. That's what she is. A shield." Riley interrupted, wanting to get to the point. She just wanted to know if she could talk to Emma and bring her out. That had been her secret mission ever since school started back up, along with Deaton's goal as well. Could Noshiko bring her out in full form?

"Could I- Could I talk to her?" She asked hesitantly, rubbing her sweaty palms against her jeans. Riley raised her eyebrows and nodded, wanting to know the truth of how to control Emma willingly.

"Yeah! Yeah, of course, I just don't really know how to bring her out at will without there being any immediate danger. I can't really force her." Riley said sadly, sitting on the edge of her seat. Noshiko stood up and gestured for her to lay down on the couch.

"I'm sure that if I concentrated hard enough, the fox could bring her out using an electrical current."

Riley wasn't too keen on becoming electroctued, but what is there to lose? "Well, let's try it." She relaxed her mind and muscles as she lay on the couch with Noshiko sitting down next to her. Noshiko rested her hand on Riley's and took a deep breath.

"Are you ready?" She asked, and Riley sighed.

"As I'll ever be." She replied. She closed her eyes, focusing on the very warm and sparky feeling of her hand. She heard whispering coming from the woman's mouth, and the last thing she remembered was a very large shock, an ear-piercing scream that came from her mouth and... Nothing.