chapter eighty-five
radio silence

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"Mom, just do what he says. He promised he wouldn't hurt you." A young Scott McCall said. He was in the sheriffs station. The one controlling the kanima, the one stalking Kennedy, was in front of him.

Matt Daehler shrugs, "He's right."

Suddenly, Matt lowers the gun, firing into Scott's side. Kennedy and Melissa scream, and Kennedy looks at Matt. Her eyes flash gold, and before she can even react Matt fires a bullet into Kennedy. She shouts in pain, falling next to Scott. Kennedy gasps as she looks down. He had shot her after she went to defend Scott. She hisses in pain, her body screaming at her.

"Scott! Stiles! What happened?" Noah yells.

Ben Stallard, arrested for illegally adopting Kennedy, a man who hated monsters, pulls on the bars of his cell "Kennedy!" He shouted. He couldn't help it. Part of him still feared for the little girl he raised. Even if she was a monster.

Matt raises a brow, "But I didn't say I wouldn't hurt you." He says slowly.

Melissa steps forward. "Wait, baby," Matt screams at her to get back, and Scott pleads for her to listen.

"I said get back!

"Mom, do it. Please, mom." Scott pleads. Scott and Kennedy groan in pain, their bodies trying to heal.

"Get up, McCall."

Sheriff calls out, "Matt? Matt, listen to me-"

Matt clenched his eyes shut. "Shut up! Everybody shut the hell up! Now, get up, or I shoot her next!" Melissa looks up at Matt as Scott pulls himself off the floor, helping Kennedy.

"Please, he needs to see a doctor." Melissa pleads as Matt pushes her into the jail cell with Ben. "They both do."

Matt hums, "You think so?"

"Hey, hey, you listen to me!" Noah yells.

"It's all right. We're okay." Scott says to his mom.

Melissa shakes her head. "No, honey, you're not okay."

Scott leans against the wall, Kennedy gripping her side. "It doesn't hurt, Mom." He told her softly. Kennedy held the wound, her hand covered in blood. She could smell it.

"Cause that's the adrenaline, okay? Please, let me just take a look at him, okay? I mean, I can help stop the bleeding."

Matt looks at Scott and Kennedy. "They have no idea, do they?" He asked slowly.

Melissa cries, "Please. Let me just take a quick look."

Suddenly, a gun shot rings through the air, and everyone screams. Kennedy looks over, seeing Ben Stallard. He stood there, eyes frozen open. A gaping wound between the eyes. Kennedy's mouth falls open as she watches him fall to the ground.

"Dad!"

Kennedy stared at the hospital room. Peter Hale's hospital room. He was injured, and healing slowly. She couldn't even see him. It made her angry. She clenched her fist, a window cracking. She flinched, stepping away quickly. She could hear the vibrations of her phone in her purse. She dug through it, looking for the caller. It was Scott. She quickly picked up, putting it to her ear. "Hey,"

"Lydia and Malia found Canaan. We're heading there now. You coming?"

Kennedy looked at the room again. "Uh, I actually think I'm gonna stay here. I have some research myself to do." She told the werewolf.

Scott clenched his jaw. She couldn't see it, but she could hear his apprehension. "You mean Peter and Sloane."

"And who the hell I'm living with, but yes," Kennedy informed him. She swallowed the lump in her throat. "Promise to keep me updated?"

"I will," Scott said. "Talk to you later,"

She clicked the red button, looking over to see Melissa McCall and Chris Argent coming out from the elevator. Chris was in a wheel chair. Kennedy tilted her head, making her way closer.

Melissa looked over, walking quickly. "You're here. Good, maybe you can help me." She stated. Kennedy's eyes narrowed in confusion, following the nurse and the hunter.

"Help you? With what?" Kennedy looked in Chris's direction. He was in pain, she could sense it. "What's wrong with him?"

Melissa peeled the bandage, revealing a glowing green slash in Chris's shoulder. "The Ghost Riders." Melissa informed her. Kennedy sucked in a deep breath. "It's spreading. We have to figure out what to do."

Kennedy sighed, nodding her head. "Okay, sounds about right." She muttered. Of course, this would happen. When she manages to get out of one problem, she slips into another. She straightened her shoulders, "Lead the way."

༺❀༻

Chris was sweaty, sleeping in and out of consciousness. Melissa tossed things down, looking at everything she had. "I think we know that this medication isn't gonna work, either." She muttered lowly. "So, I'm open for suggestions." She looked toward the werewolf and the werewolf hunter. Melissa knew the basics of supernatural, and she knew plenty about medicine. But this? This was a bit (a lot) out of her element.

Kennedy was kneeling next to Chris, taking pain when she could. Black veins stitched their hands together, and Chris sighed as he felt more at ease than before. He turned his head ever so slightly. "I had an idea, but it's asking a lot." His voice was weak. It was raspy and croaky. It made Kennedy feel ill, herself. She had never seen him that way before.

"Asking more than risking my job by losing a patient in this hospital?"

"Or asking more than anything either of us have done ever since we met?" Kennedy said with a small smile.

Chris almost smiled at Kennedy's comment. He seemed to know both of them were right. "It's the Nine Herbs. They counteract nine supernatural venoms." He explained. "I'd the herbs are combined in the wrong way, it increases the venom's power."

Melissa tilts her head. "So if I screw up..."

"You'll kill me."

Kennedy swallowed awkwardly. "No pressure." She muttered under her breath. She hadn't heard of the nine herbs before. Granted, she didn't get the chance to learn a whole lot about the supernatural when she was growing up, and medicine never came up in conversations with Peter or Derek. So this was a new one for her, too. And now she has the worry of killing Chris, a distant family member and the only living memory of Allison (other than Chris's family, but they don't count).

Melissa looked over. "Can you talk us through it?"

Chris slowly nodded. "Yeah, I can try."

"Well, we don't have a choice. You don't have much time and Kennedy can only do so much." Melissa grabs a piece of paper. "Okay, what are they?"

"I only know the names in Celtic."

Kennedy shakes her head. "I can call Derek, see if he knows the translations." She informed the two. Chris and Melissa shared looks, and Melissa nods reassuringly nods.

"First one is mugwort."

Melissa and Kennedy shared looks.

"I'm gonna need you to spell that."

༺❀༻

Kennedy slipped through the front door of the Stallard, shutting the door quietly. Melissa and her decided to divide and conquer. So, Kennedy went off to find maegoe (mayweed), wergulu (crab-apple), fille (thyme), and finule (fennel). But first, she needed to stop by her house and see what she had from when she and Derek lived in the loft. In the back of her closet was a box filled with all sorts of trinkets, surely something was there. If not, she could find Peter's apartment and see what he had there.

Kennedy looked around. The house felt unfamiliar now. She had been avoiding the Stallard's like the plague. After all, now that she knew they weren't her parents, and now that she remembered Ben Stallard died two years ago and Amanda died far before that, she was more on edge than ever.

Memories of this house felt like a lifetime ago. Every memory of Kennedy and Ben feeling aching and sad. It made her angry that this was all a lie. Kennedy had pretended these were her parents. She had made them up in her own head. Maybe she really was crazy.

Kennedy reached for the stairs, making her way to her room. The stairs felt like a life time to get up. Pictures of her growing up, pictures of Ben and Amanda. But none of all three of them. It made her stomach churn. She made it up three steps.

"Kennedy? What are you doing here?"

Crap.

Kennedy slowly turned around, freezing at the sight of Amanda Stallard. She swallowed the lump in her throat. Why was Amanda still there? If she had made her up, and now knows she's fake, she should be gone. She never even knew the woman. How could she have been so stupid to believe her own lies?Kennedy looked like a deer caught in the headlights. How was Amanda standing in front of her if Kennedy knows she's not real? Maybe, Kennedy considered, maybe Amanda is real, but she's not exactly Amanda.

Kennedy fakes a smile, tilting her head slightly. "I'm helping Melissa with something, needed to pick something up."

Amanda frowned. "Is everything alright? Anything I can help with?"

"No, it's fine." Kennedy tensed her shoulders. Kennedy thought about Peter. Maybe the herbs could help him, too. Kennedy looks around, "I have to call my cousin." Kennedy said as she spun around, rushing up the stairs.

"Who?"

"Derek."

Silence.

Kennedy paused, now more than halfway up. She listened closely to Amanda's startled breathing. "Derek Hale? You mean your friend?"

They both had been caught by the other. No reason to lie now. Kennedy spun around, narrowing her eyes. "No. I mean my cousin." Amanda tilted her head. Kennedy started walking down the stairs. "My name isn't Kennedy Stallard." Her eyes turn blue as soon as her shoe hit the floor. "It's Kennedy Hale."

Amanda scowled, but Kennedy noticed her skin. It was changing, altering. Kennedy recognized it immediately. A Ghost Rider. Kennedy's eyes widened. "Bad mistake, little girl." Amanda reached behind her, pulling out a gun. Kennedy gasped, rolling out of the way as a bullet is fired through the air. Kennedy grabs hold of a near by vase, throwing it in Amanda's direction. Kennedy growls lowly. Amanda's face continues to alter and she holds up an arm, blocking her face.

"How the hell do you look like her?" Kennedy asked harshly. "Just all part of the illusion until you take all of us?"

"We were waiting for you." Amanda said, a darker voice behind her own. "The Theroux Seer."

Kennedy tilted her head. "Why?" She asked quietly.

"You're stronger than any living Theroux descendant, and almost as strong as your predecessors. Our only fear."

Kennedy frowned. "Why do you fear my family?" She asked quietly.

"A Theroux is stronger than the lighting. The only person immune to all of our venoms."

Kennedy tilted her head. "So you say." Kennedy growled, her eyes turning blue. "Let's test that theory."

Amanda shouted as Kennedy came charging. Amanda flung her fist, causing Kennedy to shoot back into a wall. A picture shattered behind her, and she fell to the floor. Amanda stormed closer, her body flickering between Amanda and the Ghost Rider's true form. A whip was in her hand, and she flung it out. The rope wrapped around her throat, and Kennedy began to struggle for air. She reached for the rope, heaving slowly. She could feel the venom burning into her. It was trying to take her. Just like it took everyone else.

Her fingers wrapped around the rope tightly. "You took my father. My mother. Dani." Kennedy struggled for air. "You took Stiles." Kennedy choked, anger flooding her bones. "You took everything from me!"

"And they will miss you dearly."

The lasso tightened. Kennedy heaved. She was going to get taken, or worse, die. Fear was a powerful weapon, but so was anger. A fire lit up within Kennedy as the two jointed together in one final a scream. Instantly, Amanda flung backwards and the lasso combusted into ribbons. The shreds fell around the Hale. All the way up to the handle in Amanda's hand. Kennedy gasped for air, crawling on the wooden floor. She stood, seeing fear flash across Amanda's face. "You're not afraid of my family. You're afraid of me." It felt like second nature. A new muscle Kennedy had no time to adapt to. Kennedy struck out her hand, and Amanda was slowly lifted off the ground. Kennedy growled, claws growing. "Maybe you should be." Kennedy flicked a finger, and Amanda came floating across the room. Claws dug into the woman's skin, blood oozing. Amanda's form finally changed into it's truest self. A Ghost Rider. Kennedy watched as it tried to fight for its life, whatever that means. She smirked, her eyes flickering white. "I'm not just a werewolf. I'm so much more."

When it was finally over, Kennedy let out a low sigh. She swallowed the lump in her throat, pulling out her phone. She clicked a few buttons, making a phone call. "Melissa, I'll be a few minutes late. I, uh," Kennedy looked at the Ghost Rider corpse on her floor. "Got caught in some trouble."

Meanwhile, Sloane's eyes shoot open. Her stark white eyes shift to brown. She was sitting on the floor in the radio room, holding onto a photo of herself and baby Kennedy from her wallet. Stiles and Dani were in front of her, staring at her with confused, concerned, and slightly weirded out looks.

"Did it work?" Asked Stiles. "Did you see her?"

Sloane's eyes were wide. "I did." She whispered. "And she's in trouble." Sloane stood up, quickly walking to the radio.

Dani and Stiles clambered up. "Wait, why?" Dani asked. "What's wrong with Kennedy?"

"Ever since we have left and the Ghost Riders have came to town, her Seer powers are beginning to enhance." Sloane explained with a scrunched face. "It's why she could remember us."

Stiles shook his head. "Okay, this sounds like a good thing." He muttered as he looked at the werecoyote. Dani nods, agreeing. They look at Sloane. "Why do you sound upset?" He leaned onto a filing cabinet, staring at the Valet.

"This isn't any normal Seer abilities." Sloane hummed softly. "No, no, this is more. This is borderline..." Sloane stood up straight, tilting her head. "Unless,"

Dani rolled her eyes. "Okay, I'm confused. Like, totally lost." She blurted out. She held up her hands, waving her arms intensely.

"Seers are branched off Druids and Witches. Think if you were a werewolf but all you could do is grow claws, nothing else. Seers are witches with only the ability to see into our minds. But Kennedy, she's doing more." Sloane looked up slowly. "She's moving things with her mind. She lit something on fire with no match."

Stiles squared his shoulders. "What does that mean?"

"My last ancestor that was stronger than a normal seer was Callista Theroux. She wasn't your typical Theroux seer." Sloane looked up. "She was a druid."

Stiles's jaw dropped. He gawked as he looked between Sloane and Dani. "Druids? Like...Jennifer Blake?"

"Or a witch."

"Oh! A witch! Like...hocus pocus, turn you into a toad? Witches?" He listed off as he shook his head in disbelief.

"No, like curse you to die a slow and gruesome death, and cause your heart to stop beating under her hand." Sloane explained, looking at the human boy. "Kennedy's becoming something far stronger than I ever would have anticipated. And she has no idea what's happening to her or how to control it."

༺❀༻

Melissa McCall was back in the hospital, mixing her herbs that she and Kennedy acquired. Kennedy came back through the door. "We need something else." Melissa blurted. "Mel, what's that?"

Kennedy raised a brow, "Honey," Kennedy smiled as she held up a bag. "Derek called and told me you have to mix the herbs with honey."

Melissa sighed in relief. "Good girl." She beamed, reaching for Kennedy and placing a kiss on her forehead.

Kennedy handed Melissa the bag, which contained a small container of honey. "It's not an herb, but it's a binding agent and a natural antibiotic." Melissa continued to mix the concoction, talking as she did. Kennedy walked around the hospital bed, leaning down to Chris's aid.

Melissa started applying the product onto Chris's wounds. Kennedy cleared her throat, resting a hand on his shoulder. She continued to absorb the pain Chris could be feeling. The product began to sizzle and steam on Chris's skin. Kennedy and Melissa's eyes widened.

Chris shot up, gasping for air. Kennedy shot back, listening to the man's screams. Kennedy clenched her jaw, grabbing his shoulder to take his pain once more. Melissa grabs a piece of fabric. "Oh, God. Bite down on this!" She said as he walked in agony. "It's okay, it's okay." Chris slowly sank back down to the bed, and they watched as his wounds suddenly dispersed into nothingness.

Kennedy and Melissa sighed in relief, looking at each other. The two shared faint smiles. Melissa reached out, patting the redheads hand. "Thank you." Melissa whispered. Kennedy hummed, squeezing Melissa's hand.

"He's a good man, Melissa," Kennedy smiled softly. "You deserve happiness."

Kennedy stood up straight, brushing off her dress. "I have to meet up with Scott. See what he found out." She cleared her throat. "I'll be back tomorrow to see Peter Hale."

And with that, she was gone.

༺❀༻

Kennedy was the last person to get to the McCall house. But as she climbed out of her car, she could tell she wasn't just meeting Scott.

She slammed her car door shut, walking up the wooden steps. As she opened the door, she walked around the corner. She froze, seeing Scott standing there. Malia standing there. Liam and Hayden. But more importantly...

Theodore Raeken.

Kennedy almost couldn't breathe.

Theo turned to the red headed girl. He thought about everything he did to her and their pack. How he killed Kennedy. How he almost killed all of her friends. He thought about the hatred in her eyes as the skin walkers took him. He smirked, the smirk that made her blood boil. "Kennedy Hale. You aren't still mad about-"

Kennedy's eyes turned white. "I am."

She flung out her hand, and Theo flew across the room. Everyone jumped back in surprise. Theo grunted out in pain as the wall behind him nearly cracked. Liam and Hayden looked at Kennedy in shock. Even Scott was surprised. When the hell did she learn to do that? Kennedy glared down the chimera in front of her, letting out the faintest growl.

"I'm furious."did.

NATALIA'S NOTES
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hi guys:). this is a very important chapter for a couple of reasons. this chapter is the beginning and the opening to kennedy's final era of the series, where we fully embrace the seer-side and what comes with it. i don't want her to be a witch or a druid COMPLETELY, cause i feel like kennedy's already powerful, but think...she can perform spell/rituals, she can move things with her mind, and the visions & what she can do with peoples minds is gonna be times a billion. i'm still going to call her a seer, but KNOW she's probably technically closer to a druid/witch (which are very similar in teen wolf) than anything.

but i'm so so excited for this, as well as the beginning of the storyline that will lead us into the movie, which IS connected to all of this as well. this storyline actually was purposely added in the last few months because of the teen wolf movie, as i had a lot i needed to add for it all to work in my favor. but i actually started WRITING starting line: the movie!! it will be included in this story, don't worry, i'm so excited for you all to meet eli's family & friends. 6B is gonna be a scary, messy, wild ride, but i swear it will all be worth it in the end.

but there's another reason why this chapter is important. this, my friends, is our first chapter after starting line had hit ONE MILLION READS!! oh my GOD. i cannot even fathom, ONE MILLION. i am so grateful you guys have been so supportive and kind enough to join 17 year old me writing this story and me and kenny's progress. i started this story during my senior year of high school, and it quickly became a coping mechanism and a safe place for me. and i cannot even begin to explain how far this story has taken me. it has challenged my writing, my character development, me as a person, my commitment, and everything.

i have created the kennedy multiverse, sloane, dani, genevieve, cassie, cam, oliver, and so many more oc's that pop up not only in this fic BUT the other fics! like yasmin fritz, who you can all meet in fever dream. and so many that i have in my head that i hope one day i can bring to life so you can all meet themS

like, this story and what's happened with kennedy and i both in between day one and now is astronomical.

i just want to say thank you. as most importantly, this story has brought me and a lot of other people so much joy. this story has brought me amazing friends, like yoda, avery, and nova. this story has brought me so many of you as readers who support me and everything i do. this story has brought me so much healing from things i've experienced in my real life. and it's brought me a character i cherish more than i'll cherish my own children in the future.

kennedy dawn is the most beautiful thing i've brought to life, and i will forever be grateful for you all giving me the honor of sharing her story with you.

as always, i will see you all very very soon.

toodles<3

nat