Chapter Twenty-Seven

Allison pulls her car to the curb in front of the Martin home and turns to Lydia that night. We had offered to take her home after she was very distressed. "I need you to promise you won't say anything about what just happened," Allison told Lydia.

"I'll promise not to say anything about what just happened if you can tell me what the hell just happened." Lydia pleaded, looking at Allison and I.

Allison gives me a look quickly before turning to Lydia again. "It's kind of complicated," I spoke.

"How about you start with why Derek was there? Where Jackson went? What was wrong with Erica?" Lydia questioned us. Allison struggled in silence, and I stayed quiet. "Need a minute to come up with a plausible lie?"

"Part of the reason I'm asking is that Scott and I aren't supposed to be seeing each other. Okay?" Allison told her. "So it's better if you keep what you know to yourself."

"Fine. I'll keep what I know about you and your boyfriend—which is nothing—to myself." Lydia snapped. I could feel her hurt, jealousy, and disappointment. I felt awful as I sink back into the passenger seat.

Opening the door, she tries to get out, but Allison grabs her, pulling her back. "He's not just my boyfriend. You get that, right?" Allison asked her.

"Let me go," Lydia demanded.

"Can you try for one second to remember—"

"Remember what?" Lydia asked, cutting her off.

"What it feels like. All the times in school when you see him down the hall and you can't breathe until you're with him. Or in class when you can't stop looking at the clock because you know he's standing out there waiting. Don't you remember how that feels?" Allison asked softly.

"No." Lydia coldly spoke.

"What do you mean no? You've had boyfriends." I pointed out to her.

"None like that." She whispered. She pulls free. Without another look back, she gets out and slams the door shut.

I sink into my chair, watching my friend walk up her driveway. "I feel so guilty."

"Me too." Allison frowned.

"I wonder how the boys are doing with tracking Jackson." I wondered aloud as Allison pulls out of the driveway once we knew Lydia had reached her house safely.

"Last thing I heard was that they were going to a club." Allison informed me and I let out a huh sound.

⇉

"This is where you're keeping him?" I asked Stiles as soon as I got to the woods. There was a police van with a very angered Jackson inside.

"Yeah, it's the best plan we've got," Stiles responded. "Thanks for coming over last minute." I had him over some food I had made up for Jackson, a couple of sandwiches. We head towards the van. "Okay, I brought you some food—"

Two hands snap out, fingers grasping for his throat. Stiles leans back just out of Jackson's reach as he swipes at him. Gasping from exertion, he finally lowers his chained hands. I growled protectively, stepping in front of Stiles.

Jackson glares at both of us. "Let me out. Now."

Stiles took a seat at a safe distance while I stood. "You know, I put those pants on you. One leg at a time. Being up close and personal with your junk was not exactly a highlight of my day. So don't think this is fun for me either. We're doing you a favour."

"This is doing me a favour?" Jackson snapped.

"Yes. You're killing people. To death. And until we figure out how to stop you, you're staying in here. Now do you want ham and cheese or the turkey club?" Stiles offered him a sandwich.

"You actually think my parents won't be looking for me?" Jackson raised an eyebrow.

"Not if they think nothing's wrong." Stiles holds up Jackson's own cell phone on which he's sent the text - Stayed at a friend's house last night. Everything's fine. Love you. 

Stiles had briefly explained to Jackson what he was, and Jackson was glaring at him once he had finished. "Scales. Like a fish?" Jackson asked.

"More like a reptile. And your claws have this liquid that paralyzes people. And you have a tail." Stiles explained.

"I have a tail?" He asked.

"You have a tail," Stiles confirmed.

"Does it do anything?" Jackson questioned.

"Not that we know of." I chimed in.

"Can I use it to strangle you guys?" Jackson snarled.

"You don't believe us? After the semi-final game, what did you do? Right when the game ended." Stiles questioned him.

"I went home," Jackson answered.

"Are you sure?"

"Yes, you idiot. What the hell else would I do?" Jackson snapped.

"You attacked Derek and me in the school and trapped us in the pool, along with Paige. You also killed a mechanic—right in front of us by the way—and one of Argent's hunters. Last night, you tried to kill Danny." Stiles informed him.

"Why would I want to kill my best friend?" Jackson gave us a look as if we were the crazy ones.

"That's what Scott's trying to figure out right now," Stiles informed.

"Maybe he should be trying to figure out how he's going to pay for a lawyer when I prosecute your asses all the way to jail." Jackson threatened.

"Okay, then. Tell me what happened to you on the night of the first full moon." Stiles requested.

Jackson hesitates. For a moment, all that can be heard is the metallic clinking of the chains on his wrists and ankles. "Nothing. Nothing happened." Jackson spoke lowly. I could feel his confusion on that subject.

"Come on," Stiles nods towards outside the van, and we both piled out. "I'm going to send another text to his parents. You think that's a good idea?"

"I don't know," I replied. "Maybe. Tell them Jackson's gonna be home late or something." He quickly types it out on Jackson's phone and sends the send button.

Lowering the phone, he pauses, listening to the quiet of the woods. I cocked my head towards the sound of leaves being crushed underfoot. Someone is running. Coming right towards us.

I stepped in front of Stiles protectively. Stiles turns around and lets out a small gasp. I turned, ready to attack but instantly retreated, seeing it was Allison.

"Stiles—Stiles, they know." Allison gasped out, a panicked expression of her face.

"What?"

"They know Jackson's missing." Allison continued.

"They can't. I've been texting his parents since last night. They don't have a clue." Stiles informed Allison.

"My grandfather told me his parents went to the police. They know." Allison stresses.

Stiles slowly raises Jackson's phone, gazing at it as if holding a loaded weapon. Scrambling into the driver's seat, Stiles clicked on the CB, and I walked over by the door. "All available units proceed to Beacon Hills Preserve as instructed and proceed with caution until Sheriff Stilinski's arrival. Repeat, proceed with caution. Proceed with caution."

Awe, shit. They know where we are.

Allison and I shared the shotgun seat while Stiles sat in the driver's seat. Stiles quickly dials Mr. Whittemore on Jackson's phone. "Where are we going?" I asked.

"Somewhere far away from this," Stiles responded. As Mr. Whittemore picks up on the other line, Stiles tosses the phone out the open window and floors it.

⇉

The Prison Transport Van now sits parked at Lookout Point. Gathered just a few yards from the van, Scott, Stiles, Allison, and I discuss his latest discoveries.

"If Jackson doesn't remember being the Kanima, he definitely won't remember stealing Danny's tablet," Scott explained.

"But why would he steal it if he doesn't even know what's on it?" Stiles asked.

"What if somebody else took it?" Allison suggested.

"Then somebody else knows what he is." I realised.

"Which could mean somebody's protecting him." Scott continued.

"It's like the Bestiary said: The Kanima seeks a friend. Right?" Allison looked at all three of us.

"Okay, hold on. Someone saw Jackson made a video of himself turning into the Kanima. Then erased part of it so he wouldn't know. Who would do that?" Stiles questioned.

"Someone who wanted to protect him." Allison mumbled.

"There's something else." Scott looked at Stiles. "You said the only thing you found * online about the Kanima is that it kills murderers. What if that's actually true?"

"It can't be. It's tried to kill all of us. You, me, Paige, and Allison. I don't know about you three, but I haven't murdered anyone lately." Stiles sarcastically spoke.

"But I don't think it was actually trying to kill us..." Scott turns to Allison. "Remember when we saw it the first time at Isaac's? It didn't really go after us, did it?"

"You're right. It just ran off." Allison agreed.

"And it didn't kill you guys at the mechanic's garage." Scott pointed to Stiles and me.

"But it tried to kill Derek and us at the pool." Stiles frowned.

"Did it?" Scott asked.

Stiles starts to respond but then stops to think about it. My mind was still trying to process all this new information. "Well, it would have. It was waiting for us to come out."

"How do you know it wasn't trying to keep you in?" Scott asked.

"Why do I feel kind of violated all of a sudden?" Stiles pulls a face.

"Honestly, me too." I felt uneasy about this situation.

"Because there's something else going on, and we don't know what it is. We don't know anything about what Jackson's doing. Or why someone's trying to protect him." Scott explained.

"Know thy enemy," Allison spoke to herself. "Something my grandfather said."

"All right, I got it. Kill Jackson. Problem solved." Stiles concluded and I gave him a look.

"He risked his life for us against Peter. You remember that? He saved Paige's life, too." Scott pointed towards me.

"Yeah, but what did we just find out? He got the bite from Derek." Stiles spoke. "Funny how he got exactly what he wanted by supposedly risking his life for us."

"It doesn't mean he's not worth saving." Scott told Stiles and I had to agree with Scott.

"But it's always something with him." Stiles groaned.

"He doesn't know what he's doing." Scott told him.

"So what?"

"So I didn't either." Scott looked at Allison. "Remember the night I nearly killed you and Jackson? I had someone to stop me. Jackson doesn't have anyone."

"Which is his fault." Stiles muttered.

"It doesn't matter. If we can save him, we have to try."

⇉

Allison and I had returned to her home after Jackson escaped. Stiles and I had agreed that we would tell our fathers, trying to make a believable story somehow. But, while they did that, Allison and I needed to try and translate Latin, so I was invited back to her place.

Door to her room slams open, and Allison races in. Then nearly screams when she sees Lydia sitting on her bed. I jumped at Lydia's appearance. "You scared the hell out of me." Allison spoke.

"And me." I muttered.

"I've been sitting here for an hour waiting for you." Lydia pointed out. Her eyes glanced over to me, she didn't question why I was there, but I could feel her jealousy.

"We can't hang out right now, Lydia." Allison told her. Lydia rolled her eyes.

"But you can hang out with Paige?" She sounded bitter. "Look, I don't need someone to hang out with. I need someone to talk to."

I turned back, and I now really saw her. I see not Lydia but a vulnerable teenage girl waiting for a friend. "Okay. We know it's important. But if it can, just wait." Allison pleaded her.

"Why is everyone always asking me to wait? Why can't anyone have right now available?" Lydia whined.

"Because you can't have everything right now. Do you know what I need? Someone who can read five pages of Archaic Latin. Obviously, that's not going to be happening any time soon." Allison snapped.

"I know Archaic Latin." Lydia raised her eyes at us. Allison and I glanced at each other thoughtfully.

"How do you know Archaic Latin?" I turned back to Lydia.

"I got bored with Classical Latin," Lydia explained. Lydia looks at us without a hint of irony.

"Just how smart are you?" Allison asked. Lydia sighed. "Show me the pages."

After a few minutes, Allison and I peered over Lydia's shoulder. Lydia transcribes the Bestiary pages from the desktop computer screen to a pad. "Are you sure about that? Ms. Morrell said that word meant friend. The Kanima seeks a friend." Allison asked Lydia.

"She was wrong. It means master." Lydia confirmed. "The Kanima seeks a master." Allison and I whispered at the same time, sending chills throughout my body. "What? Is that important?" Lydia asked, turning to both of us.

"Yeah. It means someone's not protecting him..." Allison trailed off. I inched closer to the screen, words and images glowing across my face. "Someone's controlling him."