Rumours circulated as they would. There were countless theories as to why Lydia did what she did. People thought she did it out of jealousy. Others thought it was a prank gone wrong. Everyone else just thought she was a fucking psycho; they weren't wrong about that.

She had been driven to madness, and it was all because of one stupid gig. Lydia should have never discovered that band. Maybe Jennifer would still be alive then. Perhaps their friendship would have survived longer than it did.

Often, Lydia would picture an alternate timeline to her life. One where she and Stiles would have gotten married and had kids. Jennifer would still be in the picture, but their bond wouldn't have been as strong. 

Then again, she also imagined a life without Jennifer. What would have happened then? Well, she knew that the people the demon murdered would still be alive; living their lives in complete bliss. Lance & Griffin would have most likely sacrificed another girl for their personal benefit; perhaps they did the ritual correctly in this timeline. Either way, Lydia would live on in ignorant bliss.

She wasn't the same girl anymore. She screamed in her bedroom and saw things that weren't there. She'd stir trouble and kick orderlies, not giving a damn about their health. A very bad, damaged person. But that didn't matter now. Lydia had learnt something valuable during her stay at Eichen House that would change everything.

You see, there was a reason Lydia was a screamer. It turns out her grandmother wasn't so "loopy" after all, she was a banshee. So it didn't take long for Lydia to figure out that she was one too. That's why she could sense when Jennifer killed somebody, how she knew so much about their gruesome deaths.

But during her final battle with Jennifer, when she was bitten, something changed within her. It appeared that her underlying powers accelerated from the single bite of a demon. Unlike everyone else, she had survived and managed to absorb some of Jennifer's old powers. Though she wasn't a maneater, she was one hell of a screamer.

She rubbed at the patchy scar on her back and smirked. "I must be the luckiest girl in the world." Lydia sarcastically quipped as she utilised her new powers. It appears sometimes change can be good. She hovered further from the ground, slowly approaching the window.

For once, she wasn't going to sit by and wait until her life was over. She wasn't going to rot in a mental institution and pray that, one day, things will get better. Her life will never get better if she's stuck in this hellhole. Lydia Martin was never meant to be an idle bitch; she was always meant to be a fighter.

When she was high enough, Lydia kicked through the glass to make her escape. She zoomed out, marching across the soggy grass to her freedom. So what if there's a fence in the way? She can just rip right through it now.

The metal fence rattled as she vanished into the night. Rain poured from the sky, but it didn't affect her in the slightest. She was free.

***

She wandered through the archaic woods of Beacon Hills, unsure where she was supposed to go first. Of course, Lydia couldn't return home. Her mother would simply send her back to Eichen House, and her old friends would still despise her. Normality was no longer an option she could take.

Along a dirt road, something silver glimmered in the distance. Curiously, she approached a small pool of water that had broken free from a stream. She knelt to the ground picking up the item. It was a Bowie Knife and, if her instincts were correct, this was the very same weapon used to slaughter Jennifer. The blood had washed away, but there was still a slight stain lingering on the steel.

It was a sign; she had one last thing to do.

Lydia walked on with her hands in her pockets. She had no money on her, so she had to hike for now. As dawn rose and the sky lightened to an indigo-blue shade, she heard a car driving behind her. Immediately, she stuck out her left thumb to attract their attention.

The driver pulled over and lowered his window. Lydia poked her head through to see an elderly man staring back at her with wandering eyes. "Where you heading, little red?"

She cringed a little, but it was the only way to get to the right location. "East, towards Madison."

"What will you be paying in?" he questioned. "Ass, gas, or grass?"

"Well, I don't have any money or drugs, so..." she put on a fake, innocent smile.

The old man grinned wickedly, pleased with the option. "Hop in my chariot." Lydia huffed, reluctantly accepting the ride. She swung open the passenger door and climbed inside, slamming it shut behind her. "So, why are you headed East?"

"I'm following this rock band." She stated.

He chuckled, removing his fedora hat from his head. "Must be one hell of a group."

Lydia smirked. "Tonight's going to be their last show."

Despite all the things Jennifer did, she at least deserved this one thing. They began to drive down the road, passing a low shoulder. Lydia sat in silence, imagining all the ways she was going to kill the band.

Along the way, the old man tried to make conversation; however, she wasn't interested in chatting to a pervert. The hours passed quickly, the man unsure where Lydia's destination was. Admittedly, he didn't care because he was sitting next to a young, beautiful girl.

When the man stopped for gas, he turned to her with a small leer. "So, redhead," his words made her shiver slightly, but Lydia held firm. "I can book us a motel room if you'd like."

She sighed, turning her head towards him. "I'm a strawberry-blonde," Then, she removed the knife from her pocket and instantly slit his throat. Blood shot out of his neck, splattering the dashboard. Lydia watched nonchalantly. "But I can go red."

Eventually, his body slumped in the driver's seat, reddish liquid dripping down from his wound. Lydia brushed a finger against the warm blood before licking it off her skin. The metallic taste strangely satisfied her, even though she didn't need to eat people to survive. To be honest, it was quite fun to kill people who deserved nothing good in life. If they were bad to other people, then she would be bad to them.

Lydia may have not been the nicest person, but at least she knew the difference between right and wrong.

***

That evening, Lance & Griffin arrived at their hotel to prepare for the next concert. The world was at their fingertips. Every girl adored them and begged for them to sign every item they had on them, even the top half of their chests. A modern success story, so it seemed.

Donovan, Kai, and Tony were living in paradise. As they rested in their hotel room, they chowed down on fast food and snorted drugs. "This is the fucking life!" exclaimed Kai, who gobbled down a bowl of Skittles.

"Fuck yeah, it is!" Donovan cheered. He wrapped an arm around his brother, taking a swig of alcohol straight from the bottle. "I told you it would all work out, little bro! We're superstars!"

"Woo!" Tony agreed, yelling at the top of his lungs. "We are the CHAMPIONS!"

Abruptly, during their session of pure elation, the doorbell rang. Donovan instantly put down the bottle and wiped the cocaine off his face. "Hey, Kai, could you get that?"

He huffed. "We need a fucking butler or something."

"Yeah, I'll put it on the list," Donovan responded, soon slumping down on a comfy leather chair.

Kai approached the door, placing his sweaty palms on the golden doorknob. He pulled it open, revealing a ginger-haired girl in a black hoodie on the other side. Her head was bowed and her gloved hands were tucked into her pockets. He smirked, leaning against the doorframe. "Can I help you, little miss?"

She looked up at him with piercing green eyes and smiled. "I have a message."

"What's the message?" he asked.

Her fake smile faltered, the green in her eyes darkening. "She wasn't a virgin."

"What-?" Before he could finish his sentence, Lydia removed the knife from her pocket and stabbed it through his head. 

Blood oozed from his broken skull as she pulled the knife out of the wound. Kai fumbled backwards, soon crashing into the wall. The boys turned around to see that their close friend was now dead on the ground. 

Lydia stepped into the room, wielding the Bowie knife in her hand. She turned to them and grinned. "Sorry, boys, but your career's over."

In retaliation, Donovan charged at her. However, Lydia swiftly kicked him away with newfound supernatural strength. He collapsed as she held the knife above him. "Recognise this?" His eyes widened, seemingly answering her question. "Yeah, this is the one you used to sacrifice Jennifer."

Tony attempted to attack her from behind, but she used her free arm to elbow him in the face. His nose started bleeding heavily before Lydia went in for the kill. She swiped at his neck, breaking into his flesh. The knife dug deep, causing him immense pain. His blood squirted from his veins like water in a burst pipe.

Once again, she removed the knife and Donovan's brother fell to the floor, dying soon after. "W-who are you...?" Donovan stammered as he tried to drag himself over to the hotel door.

She knelt to the floor, grabbing his foot and painfully clawing him back. "I'm her best friend," Lydia raised the knife over his chest, relishing in the horror shown in his eyes. Then, she plunged it into his chest, exactly where his heart was. "Dick."

The terror expressed on his face remained as his lifeforce began to fade. His eyes became glassy as Donovan's strength weakened. She could feel the remnants of his soul fading away, and it made Lydia so very happy.

She took them out, one by one, in the most brutal ways possible. What's the point in being delicate when murdering someone? These boys deserved pain for what they did to her best friend.

Ironic, huh? Donovan got stabbed with his own knife; the frozen fear in his eyes was delectable. The only DNA found on the handle would be his own. Detectives wouldn't even have a clue that she was there. Well, apart from the fact that she would be seen on the security camera amongst many clueless fangirls who had learnt their hotel room number. No one would ever find her anyway. Where Lydia was going, no one was going to follow.

Besides, the press was going to have a field day with this case, especially with the evidence she had left behind. Lydia had discovered their occult books, including Tony's diary where he talked about murdering Jennifer. It would be enough to tarnish their "good name", finally making people see that they were nothing but losers.

She got her revenge, not just for her, but for every victim who suffered at their hands. Those boys got a taste of fame, but now they paid the price. Lance & Griffin was going to burn in hell, and Jennifer would be waiting.

***

Next chapter is going to be an expanded author note, so I won't say too much here. I can't believe that this story is finished, and I only started writing it five months ago.

- Alice ❤