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sirens, sirens
( teen wolf. s3A )

chapter eighteen.
it was only them

     ALANI Mordor was stunned, to say the least.

     They were gone━━leaving behind the only people who ever truly understood what she when through; who ever truly understood her. It was a tough decision Isaac had to make, and she knew no matter which one he ended up choosing, she wouldn't like him for it. He had driven away, subsequently leaving people they each cared for behind in the realms of the unknown, never truly knowing whether they were in danger, hurt... dead? But, the other decision meant staying, and that would've put Cora in more danger than she needed to be in━━Alani, too, considering she had no fighting skills. And, she knew Scott wouldn't be happy with the Beta that he was given such a perfect opportunity to get them all out and just bothering to ignore based on stupid feelings.

     But, that was just who they were━━a pack. You shouldn't leave one behind, but they had to, or else more people would've gotten injured than necessary.

     Alani hadn't said anything during such a fast-paced ride━━none of them had. The only sounds that could be heard over the roaring wind and clutching on the wheels as the tires swerved across the roads were their labouring breathing. Each of them were nervous for those they left behind, for Cora, for the possibility of anyone coming after them. They hadn't seen anyone when they left, so they were sure they were in the clear, but you could never be too sure, especially when living in a town like Beacon Hills.

     The car swerved to a stop, the brakes being forced down so suddenly that the blonde jerked slightly forward in her seat. She bit her lip, holding back a snide remark aimed at Isaac, shooting him a glare. She didn't care if he had good intentions━━right then, all she cared about was everyone stuck in that hospital, too many different outcomes swirling around in her mind for her to feel any type of relief at finally leaving the building.

     Looking at every angle out the windows, Isaac voiced a question they all dreaded the answer to. "You see the twins?"

     Despite not wanting to give in and help, Alani took a look for herself. It was pitch black outside, making her the one to struggle the most when attempting to look at their surroundings, considering she believed her eyesight to be terrible anyway, let alone being the only one there who didn't have enhanced sight due to their werewolf abilities. But, what she could see didn't tell her anything, either. The wind continued to flow through the air, the light from the car making it visible to see leaves rustling along the ground, twigs floating away.

     She could see nothing, but the sight definitely made her feel eerie.

     "No," Peter replied for them, clearly looking around himself. But, his tone of voice drastically changed, dangerous, almost, when his eyes settled on something else. "But, I see the Argents."

     The blonde's head whipped to Peter, before following his eyeline and finding them there━━Allison and her father, Chris. Her eyes widened slightly, relief flooding through that at least someone she cared about was alive and okay. A breathy chuckle escaped her lips. "Allison," she whispered. Without even thinking twice, Alani unclipped her seatbelt, not caring whether the others wanted her to stay in the car, and forced the door open, slamming it closed in the process.

     A roar echoed within the distance, causing the two Argents in front of her to question its meaning. The only notion that showed Alani had registered the sudden noise, too, was chills running across her skin, but she didn't stop in her movements. She continued moving quickly, eager to reach her friend. The brunette's turned at hearing footsteps near her, and let out a sound of shock when Alani slammed into her, wrapping her in a tight hug.

     Alani's eyes were closed, shutting off the tears that threatened to escape alongside her bright smile. This girl and Lydia meant so much to the seer━━it had been them who first introduced her to everyone, wanting her to be a part of them, knowing she was new and needed somewhere to fit in. It had been them who listened to all her struggles and fear and anxieties in the beginning, and putting them out like you would a fire, reassuring her of her place. Coming to terms with who she truly was and what she was able to do would always be a challenge, but those two girls had made it possible when it always seemed the opposite. Without them, Alani didn't think she'd be the person she was slowly starting to grow into.

     "I'm okay, I'm okay," Allison was quick to reassure her friend, sharing a sympathetic look with her father over the blonde's shoulder. She held her back just as tightly, reciprocating in the relief flooding through them at the sight of the other being unharmed... alive. She forced herself to pull away when she realised Alani wasn't about to any time soon, too engulfed in the warmth of their hug. Placing her hands on both of the girl's forearms, she forced her in place, looking intently at her. There were tears lining the bottom of her eyes that was obvious she wouldn't let fall, and Allison's heart broke just that little bit more. "Alani, I'm okay━━everything's fine."

     The blonde shook her head, choking back a sob as she tried to force the words out of her mouth without completely crumbling down. "We left them," she revealed, and she watched as both Allison and her father's faces scrunched slightly in confusion. "We left them behind in the hospital━━Scott, Stiles." She shook her head ahead, bringing her hands up to wipe across her face at any evidence of her breakdown that only crept nearer. "They could be dead━━they could be━━"

     But, Allison was quick to stop the spiral her friend had begun to tumble down. "No, Alani, they aren't dead━━they're fine. Do you know how I know that?" She didn't give her a moment to answer, because she knew she had to be quick to pull her out from under the rubble before it was too late. "Because they're Scott and Stiles. They can get out of any situation they put themselves in━━no matter how dangerous it is." She paused, watching as Alani's face slowly started to drop, the nerves within her system cooling down. A chuckle escaped Allison's lips. "Plus, I've known them for longer and seen them do stuff way more stupid than that, which means you just have to trust me."

     Her friend's words lifted a weight off her shoulders, and Alani couldn't deny that they made her feel better about it all. Sure, she'd continue to worry the entire time she didn't know if they were okay, but something about her words and their meaning━━the true sincerity behind them━━she knew she was right. This was Scott and Stiles, and nothing could bring them down without a fight from all of them, right?

     Allison gave her friend another quick and brief hug before departing once she saw Isaac rushing out of the car, too. "The others━━still in the hospital?" she questioned the boy, already knowing the answer but needing a second confirmation.

     For the briefest of moments, Isaac's eyes flickered down to meet Alani's, a look of pain and guilt registering between the both of them. He felt immense guilt for forcing her into the car when he, himself, didn't want to leave, either. But, he had no other option━━if he hadn't gotten them all out of there, who knew where they'd be now; who knew whether they'd all still be alive and safe.

     So, he pushed that guilt aside and stood his ground. "Yeah," he confirmed, voice quiet like the truth would only hurt Alani more. He didn't like her to begin with, but all that changed when Scott put his entire trust in her. He'd grow to like her, he told himself, especially when she cared that much about those they left behind. "Scott and Stiles went back for Derek and Jennifer. I had to get Cora out." He shook his head, looking back to Alani. "I had to get Alani out."

     She knew what he meant by that━━to the other standards of those she was constantly surrounded by since moving to Beacon Hills, she was technically human. Whilst she possessed the ability to see whatever her mind wanted to, whatever he may have deemed important for her to know, she couldn't swing a punch if he life depended on it. Hell, before she met everyone, she'd never be able to stand the sight of blood, and so suddenly it felt like experiencing whiplash, it was all she ever saw, whether that was inside her mind or in her reality.

     Let's entertain the idea that Alani won the argument and they stayed behind, waiting for the others to return━━an amount of time they didn't have a clue about. What would they have done if the twins turned up, or Kali, or Deucalion? Peter and Isaac were there, and they'd be able to hold up the defences for a while, but then what? They all knew they didn't stand a chance against any of them, and once they were down, they'd target the weakest ones there.

     There was a very strong possibility that, if they had stayed, Alani would be dead right then. She couldn't blame the Beta for saving her life.

     So, in an attempt to put her grudges to the side, she wanted to reassure him that she did appreciate what he did for her, even if she still hated the idea of Scott and Stiles not being there with her. A solemn smile plastered itself across her lips, and Isaac only nodded in response. It wasn't much, but they both deemed it to be progress.

     In a matter of seconds, Alani's mind suddenly shifted back to Boyd. When she met the boy, she found him intriguing, wanting to get to know him better than someone who was grieving over the loss of a fellow pack member, someone he really cared about. But, she wasn't given that opportunity━━it was snatched away from her before she barely had the chance the register that she thought he was worth the effort.

     And, then that vision━━that damned vision━━when Boyd died in the hands of his Alpha. It was the boy, Erica, and Isaac, the two formers slowly fading away like their existence meant nothing because they no longer existed in the real world. It was just Isaac left, and Alani knew that had been a turning point for him. From that moment on, he vowed to protect his pack-━━and that included Scott, which meant that included those he cared about, too.

     Alani didn't want the same thing to happen to Isaac. If she could help it, she save him in any way she could━━she just hoped if she were to get some sort of vision any time soon, it would be one of warning, telling her how to stop the fall of another of them before it was too late and there was nothing more she could do but drown in her sorrows and let the guilt each away at her soul once more. If Isaac were to be next to go, she wanted to rekindle whatever could've been there from the beginning if he hadn't been so suspicious of her.

     She wanted to try.

     The sound of tires squeaking filled her ears, lights illuminating in the near distance as, behind Isaac, pulled up another car. Hope flared within her chest as she stood straighter, footsteps moving slowly forward on their own accord, away from Allison. Were Scott and Stiles in there? Were they okay? She knew the minute she saw them she'd hug them, and then she'd beat them within an inch of their lives for acting so recklessly stupid and leaving her behind.

     But, every slither of hope was shattered within her when it was just Derek who emerged from the vehicle. She waited, impatient, for another door to open, to reveal who she had been most eager to see, but nothing changed. It was just Derek. And, whilst she was relieved to see him alive and well, too, those two boys were at the top of her list, and they always would be, alongside Lydia and Allison.

     The latter noticed her dejected expression, wanting nothing more than to be able to wipe it off her face and hand her what she wanted the most. "Where are Scott and Stiles?" Allison questioned the man, knowing he was probably the last one to have seen the two of them.

     Derek didn't stop walking as he answered them. "Stiles is still at the hospital. He's gonna hold off the cops for us." A fresh breath of relief tumbled from Alani at knowing that he was okay, that someone had seen him and could account for his safety. Knowing the cops were there, too, surely meant the Alpha pack would've left, not wanting to get mixed up in the reality side of the world and being unable to explain their presences. She watched as Derek began to pull Cora from Isaac's car, handling her gently within his hold, before addressing them all. "We have to go right now."

     No. Alani wouldn't do that. She'd already left them once, and she wasn't about to do again. Not when she knew it was safe for her to go and see Stiles, when she knew no true danger would be awaiting her when she turned up. "I need to get to Stiles," she admitted, but no one paid her attention other than looks of sympathy.

     The wind started to pick up in its speed when Chris spoke up. "What about Scott and Melissa?"

     Melissa.

     In her moment of pure panic, Alani had completely forgotten about Melissa. Her subconscious must've pushed the two boys to the front of her mind and told her that the woman had gotten away with the rest of the workers before anything dangerous had happened. The last thing she heard about her had been that Scott was working up a plan within his mind━━eager to get both his friends, and his mother out of a situation he had put them in.

     Derek had motioned for his Beta to help him get Cora inside safely, waiting for him to open the door and placing her down gently when he replied. "Jennifer took Melissa."

     His revelation was like a punch to them all. Each and every one of them there cared about Scott in different ways, and knowing that he was going through something like that tore them apart. First, it was Noah being taken from Stiles━━now, Melissa was taken from Scott. That was two, so who was next?

     Alani's thoughts drifted to her mother, so many possibilities swarming within her mind that it made it impossible to think about anything else. It could be her mother, and that thought alone terrified the blonde down to her core. What if she was taken━━what if, by the time they made it back to her, she was already gone, sacrificed alongside her friend's parents, too.

     She couldn't allow that to happen, she just couldn't. The idea of her mother being taken as a ritual sacrifice flared confidence within her chance, and she knew she'd do anything in her power to stop that chance from happening.

     Whatever it took. And, that first step was seeing Stiles, so they could explain everything to one another and figure out a plan before anyone else was taken.

     "What about Scott?" Allison's voice called through the wind that only seemed to get rougher, like it didn't want them talking about such things. Derek gave both the Argents and Alani a look they couldn't quite distinguish. He didn't bother answering the girl's question, instead continuing to walk around to the drivers side of his car, ignoring their worried glances. "Derek, where's Scott?" Allison demanded.

     He finally turned around, pursing his lips in disdain. That look alone told Alani it wasn't anything good━━that whatever happened to Scott would be hard-hitting to all them. "He left with Deucalion."

     Those were his only words, leaving them hanging in the air to surround the others and strangle them before they could understand what their true meaning was.

     Scott had left with Deucalion. Those were Derek's words━━those exactly. And, the word left stuck out to Alani like a sore thumb. That meant he wasn't taken, or forced to go━━he'd just gone without them.

     But, that couldn't be right. He was Scott McCall, and they all knew him well enough to know that he wouldn't have just left like that. There had to have been some sort of ulterior motive behind his actions, something that would pop out of nowhere and surprise them all when they realise it was all apart of his plan.

     She hoped it'd be like that, anyway.

     Derek left after explaining the truth to them, alongside Isaac and Cora, too. And, despite everything, Alani couldn't blame them. The most important person in the world right them to Derek was Cora, and he'd do anything to save her life, and Isaac would do anything his Alpha told him to. She understood that, but when that left only the Argents and herself, the blonde couldn't help but feel a little exposed. To what, exactly, she wasn't sure.

     She looked over at the two of them, only to find them staring helplessly at where Derek's car once resided, like looking at it long enough would will it to come back and give them more answers. "Can someone please take me back to the hospital?" Alani questioned, her voice a whisper and hesitant, not fully comprehending everything that had just been revealed to them. Stiles shouldn't be alone━━not when being interrogated by the police of what occurred that fateful night, not when Scott had left with the enemy, and not when Jennifer had taken Melissa, making it one step closer to his own father being ritually sacrificed, if he hadn't been already.

     A sigh fell from Allison's mouth, looking down upon her friend to find her arms crossed tightly across her chest, head hanging slightly low and eyes avoiding their own gazes, like doing so would make her suddenly invisible from the world. "Al," she breathed, regretful, "it's not safe, especially for someone━━"

     Alani nodded, looking at the gesture her friend sent her. "Someone like me, I know," she paused, trying to find the right words that would allow her to win the argument. "But, right now, now knowing if Stiles is okay is slowly eating away at me." Her admittance had both Argents look at her in pity, the young girl finally coming to fully understand how much they had learn to care for one another after being paired together so many times. Her eyes rose back up, glazing over at the idea of Stiles going through so much at once and not being able to share it with anyone. "Please."

     Chris Argent sent a look to his daughter, wanting to understand her take on the situation. She knew both Alani and Stiles a lot better than he did, and he'd take her judgement accordingly as to what his next moves would be. When his daughter smiled sadly at her friend, looking back up to her father, she nodded slowly, agreeing that it might be better for all of them to allow Alani and Stiles to be paired together once more.

     He shook his head, not quite believing he was allowing two young girls to take a hold of his heart and tug at it just with a few simple words and looks of dejection they shared. "Come on," he gestured, before moving in the direction of his car, the two following behind him.

     No words were exchanged within the car on the drive back to the hospital━━in all fairness, it wasn't that long of a driver, either, something Alani was definitely grateful for when she felt like she was about to explode in anticipation. Chris kept sneaking glances through the rear-view mirror, checking over the girl and making sure what he was doing was the right option for her. But, every time he looked back at her, noticing her expression to be one mixed of nerves and determination, he knew there was no way of stopping her. He could've taken her home, and he knew she'd just come running back.

     They pulled up to the front of the hospital, specks of the morning sun raining down on them, protecting them from the horrors of the night before. As the car stopped, Alani was quick to undo her seatbelt, reaching for the door handle when Allison's face peered from around the headrest situated in front of her, grabbing a hold of her arm to keep her in place. "Just..." the brunette sighed, licking her lips in thought. She couldn't quite believe they were letting her go so easily, either. "Be careful. If you need anything━━anything━━call me."

     Alani smiled gratefully at her friend, lighting up her eyes in appreciation for how much these people actually cared for her. She thought back to the beginning of the academic year, when she had known no one and nothing about the true horrors that lay hidden beneath the town of Beacon Hills. Allison and Lydia introducing themselves had started a chain reaction, one she hadn't seen coming, but back then, she hadn't realised the significance of them both, more so Allison.

     She had a feeling they were both doing something behind her back when they first met, some type of initialisation for the new girl. After all, she never would've believed two girls wanted to be friends were her so quickly after having witnessed such a weird occurrence that happened when the birds attacked them at school. Then there was the time when the three were following behind the bus on the way to the meet, and it had been revealed that they had been put in charge of watching over Alani, hence the reason why she was with them in the first place━━they didn't want to let her out of her sight. They didn't fully trust her at that point, and despite understanding (there was a bunch of sacrifices turning up at the exact moment she arrived, so she guessed she saw where they were coming from), it still hurt.

     Back then, if you'd have told they'd mean the world to her the way they do now, she'd have probably scoffed in your face.

     "I'll be fine," Alani reassured her in a quiet voice, looking over to her father, too, so as to aim her words at him, also. "Stiles is there, plus the police. They won't pull anything now." They knew she was right, but it still felt wrong to let her back in there.

     The moment Allison sent her a tight-lipped smile, nodding solemnly and letting go of her arm, Alani rushed out the car, trying her best not to slam the door this time around in her haste to get inside. Her footsteps were quick on their way up to the entrance, watching as the building swarmed with people━━doctors, nurses, civilians, police. She made sure her head was hung low as she slipped past the entrance doors and stood, eyes grazing around every inch of the building in search for Stiles.

     During that time, she found what a mess the place was, something she clearly couldn't have comprehended when she'd been there the night before. Glass was shattered amongst the floors, people doing their best to pick up what remained; papers of important information thrown down, no longer in such a neat order as they once were. There were lights streaks of a substance Alani couldn't make out, too, and with a squint of her eyes, she realised it was more than likely to be blood. Her eyes widened at the thought, heart beginning to pound rapidly in her chest. She looked around again, more desperate to find Stiles.

     As she pushed past people, not bothering to apologise as that would only bring their attention onto her and eventually kicking her out of the building, she stopped in her place, not caring if she was in anyone's way, for she found him. There he was━━stiffly sitting along one of the waiting benches, looking up at a man with an expression on his face that clearly told her he'd rather be anywhere else in that very moment.

     A smile broke out on her face before she could attempt to smother it down, and before she knew it, she was hurriedly moving towards him, eager to talk to him and see if he was fairing okay everything that had happened in such a small amount of time. But, she didn't get very far━━not when people suddenly realised she wasn't supposed to be there and attempted to drag her back and out of the hospital.

     She struggled in their hold, anxiously explaining that she needed to go and see someone, but it was of no use. So, she resorted to calling out for his name, her voice cracking a little as the despair and hopelessness finally caught up to her and seemed to hit her all at once. She didn't know how many times she called out for him, but she knew she was just moments away from being thrown out of the door, when he finally heard her.

     Stiles perked up in his seat at the sound of his name, the familiarity of the voice causing hope to swell within his chest. He sharply turned, and found one of the people who had been on his mind ever since they'd been parted. An Oh, my God tumbled from his lips, a breathy mumble, if anything, and ignoring whatever Agent McCall had been saying to him. In that moment, it was only her. He shot up, rushing past people, bumping into them along the way but no giving them a single thought of consideration.

     It was only her.

     Agent McCall must've seen what was going on, and gestured for those who held Alani within their grasps to let her go. Not sparing them even one glance, the blonde ripped herself from their hold, and stopped just as suddenly when the two teens came face-to-face with one another.

     It wasn't that they had nothing to say━━they had plenty they wished to say to one another, but the words in their minds simply wouldn't leave their lips, too scared to reveal their truths on the matter. Maybe if it was another situation, maybe if it was another time, one where it was just the two of them, alone to their thoughts as they begged to be freed from the clutches of their minds, they would've spoken the truth. But, for now, simply seeing one another was enough.

     They participated in the same action━━looking each up and down, left and right, eyes scanning for any visible injuries that could have been inflicted upon whilst the other wasn't there to stop it from happening. Only when they both deemed the other unharmed and safe did they let their instincts take over.

     Stiles' arms snaked around her back, pulling her closer to his chest, more than likely taking slithers of breath from her, whilst the girl's own arms wrapped around his neck, pulling him down so she was able to feel all of him. She inhaled, a shaky breath escaping from her lips upon realising that he was finally there, in her hold, safe and sound. Every moment of not being around him and thinking up different possibilities that could've happened to him when he rushed back into the hospital without another word, completely gone from her mind.

     It was only him.

     "I'm so sorry," Stiles mumbled against her shoulder, the words only reaching her ears due to the close proximity, or else she more than likely probably wouldn't have heard them. There was guilt in his voice that she could register, remorse, too. "I shouldn't have just gone without saying anything, knowing you━━"

     "It's okay," she reassured him, cutting him off from whatever he was about to say━━knowing that it probably would've caused a blush to rise to her cheeks when even he knew how much his sudden absence had affected her. The only thing that made her feel better was knowing he felt the same, too, clear through his actions. "It's okay," she repeated again.

     They slowly pulled away from one another, neither of them truly wanting to, but knowing they needed to. They needed to talk; they needed to explain; they needed to reassure; but, a little more importantly, they needed to acknowledge the presence standing behind Stiles' back. "I'm sure this is a very sweet and sentimental moment, but we've got bigger issues at hand right now, don't you think?"

     Alani didn't know who he was, but she already wanted to punch him in the face.

     The man stood tall, an expectant and annoyed expression written on his features, pen and paper in hand. It was the man who Stiles had previously been talking to━━an agent, by the looks of it, meaning Stiles was being questioned when she rushed in and interrupted them. But, based on his attitude, she couldn't care less.

     When both teens fully faced him, he gestured behind himself, implicating for the both of them to follow him back to where himself and Stiles had previously been. Whilst they started walking behind him, albeit a little reluctantly, Stiles leaned further down to her, so only she could hear his next words. "Scott's dad."

     Such a revelation had Alani's eyes widening in surprise, head turning back to look over the man again. It was difficult to spot any similarities between the two of them, but she guessed she understood where they lay. If anything, Alani thought he looked like his mother more━━and, by the looks of it, acted more like his mother, too.

     Scott's father stood aimlessly in front of them bench, rocking on his heels backwards and forwards as in impatient gesture for them to stop taking their time. With a grumble, Stiles moved quicker, slouching against the seat, Alani following suit. The man sighed. "I asked you where you dad was, Stiles."

     "I don't know. I haven't seen him in hours." Stiles answered quickly, she would've believed it to be the truth. Although, technically, it was. No one had any idea as to where Noah Stilinski was currently residing, and they hadn't seen him in hours━━not since the school recital. The image of Stiles' face when he called out for his dad's name after having watched be snatched away like a gust of wind with Jennifer Blake popped into the forefront of her mind, and she had to swallow a lump in her throat to keep herself intact.

     No emotion was on Scott's father's features when he asked his next question. "Is he drinking again?"

     It was like a slap to the face, that question. It caused anger to bubble up within Alani's entire being, her entire soul, and she wanted nothing more than to let it all alone, damn to consequences. But, she had to remind herself that this was a police officer, someone who didn't know the ins and the outs of the truth in regards to Beacon Hills, which he had to look around every corner he could to find the answers he so desperately sought.

     That didn't mean he wasn't an asshole, though.

     A scoff fell from her lips before she could reign in back in, shaking her head slightly and looking down the halls. She knew he was looking at her, but she didn't want to give him to the time of day. As long as he knew his question probably did more harm than good.

     Stiles sighed, the sounding causing a small dent to appear within the blonde's heart, and she turned her focus back around, if only to look at him. "What do you mean again? He never had to stop." The grief and heartache written clearly behind his voice made Alani look down between them, wanting nothing more to hold onto his hand, but something was holding her back. Would it be too much? Did he need her support at this time? Would he just think she was pitying him?

     But, she never got to find out, because Agent McCall instantly fired back. "But, he did have to slow down━━is he drinking like he used to?"

     This time, Alani couldn't hold her anger back. A disgusted Oh, my God mumbled under her breath, but she made sure it was loud enough for the man to hear it. She crossed her arms, shaking her head again and looking down at the floor, not quite believing the questions he was asking a teenager who hadn't seen his father in way too long.

     Silence emitted around them, and for a moment, she wondered why Stiles hadn't answered his question. When she looked back up, she found Agent McCall looking down at her, intrigue on his features at having spoken such a way to not only someone she'd just met, but an agent, at that. "I'm sorry," he began, gesturing to her, a smug smile on his lips, "who are you?"

     "Alani Mordor," she answered, her own mocking smile playing against her lips. "A friend of Stiles and Scott."

     She hoped the name of his son would've caused something, and she watched as recognition filled his gaze, nodding as if finally coming to an understanding. "Ah," he chuckled, looking back to Stiles and pointing over at the girl next to him, "that makes sense."

     The two teens shared a look with one another, completely annoyed with him and wanting to just up and leave, but, they knew they couldn't do that, so they had no choice but to stay seated and allow for him the continue to pathetic questioning.

     Stiles' tongue poked across the side of his cheek, his facade having cracked and simply being done with Scott's father. "Alright, how about this?" he questioned, sarcasm clearly laced within his tone. "Next time I see him, I'll give him a field sobriety test, okay? We'll do the alphabet━━start the f, end with u."

     The blonde smirked at his reaction, liking the fact that he was starting to stand up to him. Agent McCall seemed to be used to such quips, however━━whether that was from being in the force for so long, or from knowing Stiles through his son, she didn't know. He pursed his lips, not even flinching at the words. "How about you just tell me what the hell happened here?"

     Such a question caused Alani's gaze to rise up to Stiles, but the latter made sure not to make eye-contact with her to ensure their story. Agents like the one before them looked into every tiny detail, and one simple look could give the game away that they knew more than they were going to be letting on.

     "I don't know what happened here. I was stuck in the elevators the whole time," he admitted.

     Something flashed across Agent McCall's features, something that Alani didn't like the look of, but couldn't fully depict what it was. He expression remained frozen, impartial, but they knew that something Stiles had sent meant something to him. With a slow nod, the man look down at Alani. "And, you just got here?" he questioned, motioning over to the double doors where the two had their previous moment. When she nodded, confused, he turned back to Stiles, sighing. "You're not the one who put the name on the elevator doors, are you?"

     "What name?" Confusion was laced within Stiles' tone, and Alani could feel it, too. She hadn't been there for the last moments of what had happened the night before, but they last she checked, no one had mentioned a name being written anywhere within the hospital.

     "Argent."

♡

     The fact that the name Argent was written in the same building where everything had gone wrong wasn't a coincidence, and it freaked both Stiles and Alani out. They had different options as to who could've possibly wrote it━━any of the Alphas, for one━━but deep down, they knew who had done it. Jennifer. And, that only meant Chris Argent was in danger.

     So, with barely any time to spare, they set off, leaving a startled Agent McCall in their wake.

     It was Stiles' idea to inform the Argents of the sudden predicament they seemed to have found themselves in, and also his idea to check in on Lydia. And, seeing as there were two of them involved in the plan, they thought they'd kill two birds with one stone━━whilst Stiles went to the Argents, Alani went to see Lydia. There wasn't anything in particular they needed to talk to her about, other than checking to see how she was doing after almost being made into a sacrifice by their former English teacher, and catching her up on everything that had happened since. Alani was the best person for the job.

     Stiles pulled up to the girl's house, and Alani barely gave him any time to tell her what would happen when he was finished with the Argents before she was out of the car and jogging up to the front door. The last time Alani was at the Martin household had definitely been... an experience. Back then, she hadn't known the truths of what really lay beneath the town of Beacon Hills━━she barely knew much about herself. And, yet, Lydia and the rest of the group had taken her in anyway, knowing there was something different about her and helping her understanding what she needed to. That particular night, both girls had found a body━━Alani's first time at ever witnessing such devastation. She doubted it would be the last.

     The blonde rapped her knuckles against the door, signalling her presence. She wasn't quite sure what she expected━━maybe, she expected it to be Lydia to open the door, but it wasn't. Instead, it was the girl's mother. Alani hadn't met the woman the last time she was there, Lydia mentioning her being out somewhere. And, meeting the woman for the first time, Alani could see the similarities between the two.

     A bright smile plastered across the blonde's face as she tried to appear normal and not as freaked out as she was really feeling inside. "Hi, Ms. Martin━━I'm Alani, Lydia's friend," she introduced, fiddling slightly with her fingers, a coping mechanism she hoped the woman wouldn't notice. "I just wanted to check up on her."

     Understanding filtered along the woman's face when she introduced herself, the confusion slowly ebbing away, and a relieved chuckle fell from her lips. "Alani," she repeated, breathy, "of course. She said you'd probably be round soon enough." Ms. Martin inched away from the door, opening it up wider so Alani could see more inside their house. She gestured inside and up towards the stairs. "She's in her room."

     With a mumbled thank you, Alani stepped inside and made her way up the stairs━━her mother clearly knew about their sleepover from last time if she didn't bother directing her to which door she needed to find in order to come across Lydia. Alani walked down the hallway, spotting the picture frames from last time hung along the wall━━pictures of her friend, her mother, their dog. She laughed at that last one.

     When she finally found Lydia's room at the end of the hall, she knocked on the door gently, before slowly beginning to open it. She didn't want to just barge in, just in case her friend was doing anything she didn't want Alani to see. But, when she peeked her head around the corner, her eyes landed on the strawberry blonde standing in front of her floor-length mirror, looking over her outfit. She turned away and aimed for her bed, bending down to ruffle through her bag when she spoke, looking up at Alani, smiling. "Hey," she greeted, looking around her room for something, "I knew you couldn't get enough of me."

     The wink her friend sent her caused a slight blush to rise along her cheeks, one she hoped Lydia wouldn't notice. She watched as she rifled around for whatever she was looking for, crossing her arms along her chest as if to hide herself away. "Meaning?" Alani questioned, a slight tease in her tone, too, joining in.

     "It means," Lydia emphasised, finally moving away from her desk and throwing her phone within her bag, zipping it up, "you're a good friend for coming to see me." A sheepish smile tore its way along her features, and Alani looked down in embarrassment. She wasn't used to this━━she wasn't used to someone appreciating her friendship because she'd never gotten this far with someone. Whenever she met knew people and truly believed they were getting along, something weird would happen with her abilities, something she couldn't explain without revealing the whole truth (which she wasn't ready for), and they'd leave. But, with Scott, and Lydia, and Allison and Stiles, it was different. They wouldn't leave her.

     Her head shot up when she realised Lydia had moved around her bed and was standing much closer to her now, smiling brightly, too, wrapping an arm around her shoulders. "Now, come on," she urged, swaying the two of them gently, "there's no point looking as perfect as we do if we're not going to show it off at school." They chuckled together at the girl's confidence, something Alani definitely wasn't feeling considering everything that had happened the night before. As if reading her thoughts, Lydia carried on. "Plus, you have a lot of explaining to do."

     And, Alani did just that.

     The two girls had sat down in Lydia's living room, the latter listening intently whilst Alani explained as much as she could. Lydia remembered everything up to when Noah had been taken by Jennifer, so Alani started off there. She talked about how herself, Scott and Stiles went to warn Derek about the woman, before she turned up. How Derek was just moments away from killing her when she admitted that they all needed her━━that in order to save both Cora and Stiles' father, they needed her alive. How they all eventually ended up at the hospital, looking for Cora, only to end up finding more than they had expected. How herself and Stiles hid out in the ambulance with an unconscious Cora, waiting for something to happen, and how the boy ended up leaving so suddenly he didn't say a word, and ending it with Isaac and Peter forcing her to safety.

     Lydia hadn't said a word, not until Stiles turned up. Alani hadn't been able to say anything more on the events of the night before with the boy storming in, taking over for her, explaining parts that the girl hadn't been there for.

     Like Scott.

     "I don't believe it," Lydia denied, finally speaking up for the first time. Her tone of voice was firm, stubborn, as she sat up straighter. "Scott can't really be with them." She turned to Alani, who sat on the couch next to her. "He can't be."

     All Alani could do was send her a sympathetic smile, the action not meeting her eyes. She knew it was true━━Stiles had seen it himself, and she knew that wasn't something the boy would lie about. Plus, no one had seen him since. Wherever he was, the Alpha pack weren't too far behind.

     She really hoped Scott had some ulterior motive hidden within his sleeves.

     Stiles sighed, the dejection and despair clear in his irises as he looked towards both girls. "You didn't see the look on his face, though. It was..." He couldn't finish his sentence, struggling to find the right words to describe such a sensation of watching your best friend turn their back on you. Alani couldn't imagine what he was feeling.

     "Then what can I do?" Lydia questioned, wanting nothing more than to be useful. Her head turned to the blonde next to her, gesturing between the two of them. "What can we do? I mean, I get that I'm some kind of, like, human Geiger counter for death. And, Alani can see things that can lead us to the right path." She paused, her eyes downcast as she spoke the truth. Alani only stayed silent, watching. "But, we don't know how to turn it on and off yet. All I know is that Jennifer knew what Alani was, and she tried to kill me because of━━"

     But, Lydia didn't finish her explanation. She was frozen, lips parted in shock and eyes frozen over with fear as they stared helplessly towards the ground in front of them. Alani perked up, uncrossing her arms and sitting up straighter, leaning closer to her friend. "Lydia?" she questioned.

     When the strawberry blonde didn't say anything, only continuing to allow her mind to swim off the far off places they couldn't yet understand, Stiles cut in. "Because of what, Lydia?"

     Seeming to get a hold of herself, Lydia came back to her senses. She looked between the two other teens in her house, and they noticed her eyes started to glaze over, like the fear was slowly beginning to consume her. "When she called me a Banshee, she was surprised by it━━just like she was with Alani and the..." she trailed off, unsure.

     "Dreamwalker..." Alani whispered, hating the way it sounded on her tongue, and hating the way it made her feel elated inside.

     "Right," Lydia nodded in agreement, turning back to the topic at hand. "She was surprised." She emphasised, shaking her head, watching as, slowly but surely, the other two started coming to their senses. "What if that's not why she tried to kill me?"

     Stiles shook his head. "Then why did she?"

     "That's what we need to find out."

NOTE
hi, my name's fleur, and i hate ending chapters. i never know how to do it properly and effectively and they always just end up sucking but this is as good as we're gonna get, bc i cannot go off my plan when we're so close to the end. not too sure how many chapters left━━either 2 or 3, depending on how long the last episode takes up a chapter.
but, i am so excited to get to a certain part bc it's gonna be teased why alani keeps seeing the woods and who the mysterious man is. some people might already know, but i'm excited to write it anyway <33
also!!! something 👀 happens next chapter 👀👀 it definitely allows the relationship to move forward, but i won't say any more on the matter.