{2.0}

"Kanima Hunting 101"

***

Ollie had never wanted to get hit by a bus more. 

He felt like he was going to throw up. Actually, he felt like he was on a rollercoaster that had just done a nose-dive. Like his stomach was in his chest and he was about to have a seizure. He couldn't believe how self-destructive he had become; and knew that he deserved all of the anxiety clumped together in his nerves. 

He was still wearing the same clothes from yesterday; although some of the blood from his knuckles had gotten onto his grey shirt. Ollie grimaced deeply - as if he wasn't incriminated enough as is. His entire house seemed daunting; from the familiar way the floorboards creaked as he stepped through the front door; to the bookcase in the living room that was visible from the entryway. He felt sick again, and swallowed. Come on, idiot. He reprimanded himself in his mind. Be a man. 

His mind reprimanded him back for using such a sexist phrase, but he told his mind to shut up. 

 The lights were on, so Ollie knew that Nicole was home. He cleared his throat, but before he could call her name; she appeared. 

 Ollie immediately felt worse.  

 She looked exhausted. Like she hadn't slept. Her red hair was messy around her face, and her green eyes narrowed as they took in the sight before them. Ollie opened his mouth to try and think of a good way to say what he was feeling; but he came up blank. 

 She stared at him for a second, before her lips pulled into a tight line. She shook her head and whirled around, stalking back into the kitchen. "Where the hell have you been?" 

 Ollie took a moment to sigh, running his sore hand over his hair, before he lifted his eyes and followed. Nicole had sat down at the table; but he decided he was safer standing, and nervously linked his hands together. "Katrin's." 

 "And why hasn't Katrin answered any of my calls?" 

 "Um-" Ollie swallowed. "Because I asked her not to." 

 That wasn't true; Katrin knew Ollie well enough to keep him off the radar. But he wasn't about to rat her out, not when she was such a solid source of comfort. Nicole scowled, running a hand through her curls - and Ollie could see the similarities the two bore. "Do you realize how worried I was?" She demanded, her tone sharp as she glowered at her adopted son. "I haven't heard from you since last night! I called Katrin, she didn't answer. I called Richard - he was in New Orleans on a business trip. I called Stiles, he started talking about how he was entitled to keep your secrets because of a blood oath you did when you were fifteen; and I called Scott, who pretended that we was driving and lost reception."  

 Ollie had to admit - he had good friends. 

 But he didn't say that. Instead, he felt his face heat up. "I was angry, okay? And I know that's not an excuse, but I've been kind of... under a lot of pressure, lately." 

 "Yes, and I understand that, Oliver!" Nicole stood up, walking over to put a hand on his shoulder. "I'm not going to pretend to understand what you're going through. I know it's a lot more than anyone should have to deal with - much less a child. But I need you to understand that I cannot help you unless you tell me what is going on." 

 That only made Ollie's chest hurt more. How could he possibly explain to Nicole what was happening to him? That his mother's psychic gene was activated; thus painting a supernatural crosshair on his back? That he couldn't sleep, because when he did he accidentally saw visions of horrible things that couldn't be avoided? That his best friend was a werewolf - god, he sounded ridiculous. Like a ridiculous, idiotic, dumbass.

"I-" He scrambled for something to say. "It's just... I guess I've been having a hard time, because of my parents." 

 "Your parents?" Nicole repeated, concern brimming her eyes as Ollie managed a nod. That wasn't a lie - he did miss his parents. And now more than ever, overwhelming questions surrounding them were beginning to suffocate him. He remembered them, of course, but he couldn't wrack his memory to think of if they had ever been involved in anything out of the ordinary. Sure, they didn't travel a lot. And sure, his mother only left the house when it was neccessary...

 Hm, maybe his childhood wasn't as normal as he thought. 

 "Yeah," Ollie bit the inside of his cheek. "I think it's just with my birthday getting closer. It just makes me remember, and... I dunno-" 

 "I understand," Nicole rubbed his shoulder affectionately, her gaze having softened considerably. "Ollie, I am always here for you, okay? You don't have to think of me as your mother, but I want you to trust me." 

 "I'm sorry for what I said," Ollie blurted, lifting his gaze to look the woman in the eye. "I do. I do think of you as a mother. I guess I just think that, and then I feel... I feel guilty for it. You know? Like I shouldn't." 

 "I get it, and I promise to be more open and understanding for you, okay? Because I love you, and I want you to feel safe here." 

 Ollie smiled. If only you knew. "Thanks, Nic. I love you too."

 "And I love you too much to not punish you for disappearing for twenty four hours. Also-" she gestured to his shirt. "Is that blood? Did you get into a fight?" 

 Ollie's eyes flew open, "uhh-" 

 "You know what? Don't tell me. I'm sure I'll get a call about it later," she winked to signify that she was joking, and Ollie visibly relaxed. The knot in his stomach loosened; and oxygen was able to suffuse his lungs yet again. The back of his mind was nagging at him; reminding him of all of his problems. But for once, he didn't care all too much. At least he knew that he wasn't the biggest asshole of a son to ever live. 

 For now, that was good enough for him. 

 ***

Apparently, Scott wanted to get into a rave. 

 Ollie learned that fact courtesy of Katrin, who was quick to fill him in on the events of the previous day throughout a lengthy phone call. Ollie had to use Nicole's phone - which she said was okay, because he didn't have one; and because he was buying his own new one. So since they both know that Ollie is poor; his mother reasoned that he could call his cousin due to the fact that he wouldn't be calling anyone else for a long time. 

 Oh! Ollie was very much grounded. He wouldn't be doing anymore late-night werewolf hunting for a while, unless it was done so by means of a lot of sneaking around. 

 And Nicole was driving him to school. Which he deserved. But it was still embarassing.

She grinned at him as he ducked out of the car, the wind ruffling his hair as he immediately caught sight of his friends. He made it three steps before a loud honking sound made him jump. His hand flew over his heart as he spun around, only to see Nicole staring at him with a shit-eating grin on her face. "Bye, Ollie!" She yelled, raising her voice to an obnoxiously loud tone. "Have fun at school, honey! I love you!" 

 Ollie ducked his head, a bashful smile spreading across his face as multiple people turned to stare at him. Embarassment. He also deserved that. "Thanks, Nic." 

 She waved cheerily, laughing to herself as the car pulled away. Ollie rolled his eyes, glaring at a group of freshman who were looking at him, before sauntering over to his friends. He grabbed onto the back of Scott's shirt right as he hopped out of Stiles' Jeep; raising an eyebrow. "I heard that you're a party boy now."

Scott smiled, "Ollie!"

 "Ollie!" Stiles repeated, grinning as he ran around his Jeep to kiss Ollie's cheek. "You're not grounded for life?" 

 "Nope, I totally am. But apparently I have to get an 'education' or some shit." Ollie sighed deeply, before turning back to Scott. "Kat told me that you need to get into that show. You know, the super special secret one." 

 Scott furrowed his eyebrows at his friend, "why do I feel like you're leading up to something?" 

 "Because he is," a new voice cut in, right as Katrin made herself known. She pinched Stiles's cheek as she passed, crossing her arms and hopping up onto the sidewalk. "I have two tickets to that show. And if you want them, you're gonna have to earn them." 

 Scott's eyes flew open. He walked over to he was in front of Katrin, leaning down and lowering his voice as if they were sharing a secret. "You have tickets? How?"  

 "I got Steph Lankowski's ex transferred to a private school," she tilted her chin up proudly. "And Steph apparently has connections. So -" She wiggled her eyebrows, "Scotty boy, how much will you pay me?" 

 Scott blinked. "I don't have money." 

 "I know, I'm kidding. Obviously you can have them, but I want to come with." 

 Scott immediately shook his head. Ollie turned to glance at Stiles, slinging an arm over his shoulder as Kat and Scott argued in the background about the danger of rogue kanimas. Stiles spoke up, his words slurring from how quickly he was speaking them. "Okay, so last night I was with my dad - and I think we figured something out about the kanima victims." 

 As Katrin began to list off all of the weapons she was illegally in possession of, Ollie widened his eyes. "An actual important pattern?" 

 "Mhm, really important, and-" Stiles's voice trailed off as Matt and his creepy camera walked over to the group. "I'll tell you later."  

 "Hey, do any of you guys know why no one is getting suspended after what happened the other day at school?" Matt asked, making Katrin glower at him as she stuck up her middle finger in Scott's face. The brunet's eyes traveled over the group, seeming to take note of Ollie's bruised knuckles as he did so. 

 "Just forget about it," Stiles shot back evasively, narrowing his eyes. "No one got hurt." 

 "Well," Ollie piped up, shrugging. "Seriously." 

 Matt seemed offended at the insinuation. He took a step backwards and pulled a face, "I had a concussion." 

 "We've all had concussions, Mike." Katrin mused, cocking an eyebrow as she twirled a piece of hair around her finger. "You aren't special. You probably just took a baby Advil and had a nap. Bam! Good as new." 

 The line between Matt's eyebrows deepened. "I was in the ER for six hours-"

 "You wanna know the truth, Matt?" Stiles demanded, stalking away from Ollie to approach the boy. He knelt down, holding his hand about an inch off of the sidewalk as irritation seeped through his tone. "Your little bump on the head is about this high on our list of problems right now."

Matt opened his mouth to retort, but before he got the chance, Scott stepped forward. Demonstrating that he was the only nice one in their friend group, he softened his tone. "Are you okay?" 

 Matt scoffed, "yeah, I am now." 

 Ollie pulled a face, "then why were you so dramatic about it?"

 "So, I hear you got two tickets," Matt said; turning to Katrin. The girl seemed to not have been paying attention, as she snapped out of her staring into space to shoot the boy a look. 

"Hm?"

"To the party." 

 "Oh," the redhead narrowed her eyes, "maybe I did. What's it to you?" 

 "I was just curious, I didn't see you in the line last night." 

 "Oh," Katrin laughed airily. "Yeah, I actually got them off of this girl whose-" 

 "We don't need to hear this story again," Ollie cut in, before shooting Matt a very sarcastic wave. "Bye, Mike, we'll see you around."

The boy shot him a disbelieving look. Ollie held his gaze, wishing more than anything that Matt would take the hint and get lost. Thankfully, he did; spinning on his heel with a disgruntled huff. Ollie exhaled, shaking his head as Stiles muttered about his dislike for the boy. He spun around to look at his cousin, raising an eyebrow. "So why are you mad at Scott?" 

 "Because he said that I could-" she lowered her voice in a poor impression of Scott's voice. "Get hurt." 

 The boy threw his hands up in exasperation. "There is literally a murderous kanima that will probably be at that party, ready to murder someone!" 

 "Yeah? You wanna know what else is murdous?"

 "I think we all know the answer to that," Stiles cut in, shooting the girl a sheepish smile in response to her sharp glare. "So what's the plan here?"

"I can't go to a rave anyway, not unless you guys are good at sneaking people out of houses." Ollie said, shrugging as he stuffed his hands into his pockets. "And none of you are exactly stealthy." 

 "I take personal offense to that," Stiles retorted, shooting his boyfriend a teasing grin. "I've broken into your window before, and you didn't even wake up." 

 "And I haven't slept peacefully since."

"Incase you morons are incapable of math -" Katrin gestured to the boys, before placing her hand on her hip. "Two plus two is four. So if this is going to be a group bonding session that involves breaking Ollie out of his house, then you better find a way to get two more tickets. Fast." 

 "And I'm doing this thing where I try to not punch people as much," Ollie placed a hand on his chest. "So I can't just steal them." 

 "Well then I suggest you think of a plan fast," Katrin began to turn away, before hesitating and doubling back. 

 "Because I'm not afraid of Jackson Whittemore. Even if he is hiding behind a snake man shield."

 ***

"You actually replaced me as the brute force? I am offended." 

 Stiles rolled his eyes. The group had reconvened after school; and Scott and Stiles had some good news. They had acquired two more tickets to the underground rave, which meant that the 'group bonding' as Katrin called it, was able to commence. The werewolf, the kid with ADHD, the girl with a crossbow, and the sleep-deprived psychic... it was Kanima Hunting 101. And in order to make their goal more... attainable, they had to have a method of slowing Jackson down. 

 Which was where Scott's weird boss came into the picture. 

"In our defense, we didn't do it on purpose." Stiles said, shrugging as innocently as he could as the four filed into the animal clinic. Katrin knocked her shoulder against the glass door and cursed, but otherwise the waiting room was silent upon their arrival. This made Stiles's voice seem even louder than usual, as he glanced at Ollie and pursed his lips. "Isaac decided to be helpful." 

 "Isaac Lahey?" Ollie repeated, incredulity evident in his tone as he punched Stiles's shoulder. "You replaced me with Isaac Lahey?"

  "No! It just happens that you aren't the only kid in school with freakish fighting problems." 

 Ollie stared at Stiles for a moment, his eyes narrowing. "I hate you." 

 "Don't lie to yourself." 

 "Good," Scott's boss spoke, making Ollie jump as the man appeared at the back of the room. There was something about Deaton that was offputting to the boy. Perhaps it was just how much he knew about the supernatural. He always spoke with that edge to his tone; like he knew something about you that you didn't. Ollie didn't like that, especially since he was usually the one who was burdened with the annoying information. "You're here." 

 "We got the tickets," Scott explained, awkwardly fiddling with the cuffs of his jacket. "We just need to slow Jackson down enough to buy us some time."  

 "That I can help with." Deaton gestured for the teens to follow him. They did so reluctantly, Ollie and Katrin sharing a look as they entered a small room behind the front desk. Ollie could tell that his cousin was thinking the same thing as him - although neither were anxious to voice their thoughts aloud. 

 What could slow down a kanima?

 As if reading his thoughts, Deaton turned to face the group. He was holding a small bottle in his hand, and Ollie could spot clear liquid lapping at the glass sides when the man tilted his hand. "Ketamine. It's the same stuff we use on dogs, just in a higher dosage. If you can get close enough to Jackson, it should slow him down enough to buy you some time." 

 Setting the vial aside, Deaton picked up another. This one didn't have medicine in it - however - instead filled with powder so dark it seemed to suck light away from it's surroundings. "This is some of what you'll use to create the barrier. This part is for you, Stiles-" 

 Deaton's voice trailed off. He pursed his lips, his dark eyes scanning over Ollie, before landing on Katrin. "And you." 

 The redhead blinked in surprise. "Me?" 

 "Yes, you." Deaton held the bottle out, and Katrin tentatively stepped forward to grab it. "This is a task that the two of you must accomplish alone." 

 "That kinda seems like a lot of pressure," Stiles mumbled nervously, his gaze averting. 

 Katrin nodded, "yeah. And I wanted a job that involved shooting Jackson."

 "It's from the Mountain Ash tree," Deaton began, brushing past Katrin's murderous fantasies as if they were in the norm for his line of work. "Which is believed by many cultures to protect against the supernatural. This office-" he gestured vaguely with his hands. "-Is lined with Mountain Ash. Which makes it difficult for someone like Scott to cause me much trouble."

Stiles nodded, "okay, so we just spread this around the whole building, and the either Jackson or whoever's controlling him can't cross?"

 Deaton nodded his head, although his words didn't seem as convincing as he probably hoped. "They'll be trapped."

 "Okay," Ollie rocked back on his heels, raising an eyebrow at the man. "What's the catch?" 

 The ghost of a smile flitted over Deaton's lips. "Smart. Well... think of it like gunpowder. It's all just powder, until a spark ignites it. You need to be that spark." 

 Katrin, whose attention was captured at the mention of gunpowder, raised her hand. "So you want me to set Stilinski on fire?" 

 Stiles groaned, holding up a finger in defense. "I am totally not up for that, if anyone was wondering."

Deaton chuckled. "Let me try a different analogy.  I used to golf. I learned that the best golfers never swing before first imagining where they want the ball to go. They see it in their mind, and their mind takes over. It can be pretty extraordinary what the force of your own will can accomplish."

 Stiles's eyebrows furrowed, "force of will..."

 "If this is going to work, you have to believe it." 

 "Great!" Katrin piped up, sharing another knowing look with Ollie - who was resisting the urge to roll his eyes. "So this entire plan is dependent on Stilinski and my capabilities to believe in ourselves. Let's all click our heels together three times and sing a song about our magical fairy dust now!" She grinned sarcastically, before reaching into her bag. Ollie was rolling his eyes before he even saw what it was; and wasn't at all surprised at the metal of the mini crossbow that glistened under the florescent lights. 

 Katrin narrowed her eyes, "and here I was hoping I would get to use my talents for good." 

 Ollie hated to admit it - but he agreed with her. The prospect seemed hopeless as is. Capturing a rogue bloodthirsty beast was never at the top of his To-Do list... and now he had to hope that his cousin's sheer force of will was enough to pull their plan through. 

 Plus, he had to think of a way to get out of his house without Nicole knowing. A task that was possibly more terrifying than facing off against an evil creature with blood staining its claws. 

 Ollie ducked his head and sighed deeply, already feeling a headache form behind his eyes. Fuck it. He had seen weirder.

 And he was definitely going to need his baseball bat.

a/n:

OKAYOKAY I'M SORRY THAT WAS BAD BUT AT LEAST IT'S HERE!!

3450 words written in one day, wtf - istg writing for runner is me procrastinating for a month, then sitting down and writing one chapter in half a day. it's a mental illness, but since school is out, i'm hoping to finish this book up this summer! y'all better wish me luck, and make sure to spam me with comments and headcanons to keep my creativity up!

if my writing seemed bad, i'm sorry. like i said, this was a few thousand words in a few hours, but i am proud of myself for pulling it off. PLEASE COMMENT GUYS I NEED AS MUCH MOTIVATION AS POSSIBLE!! if anyone wants to tell me their ideas, headcanons, or anything, i would be more than happy to fangirl with you! 

i love you all loads, and thank you for reading/for your wonderful patience!