chapter fifty-six
❝ you're not half the man you think you are ❞
time of death

━━━━༺❀༻━━━━

Kennedy sat on Malia's bed, the Tate holding up Kennedy's skirt. "Why is it red?"

"Because it's called fashion, which you lack," Kennedy chimes sarcastically. The two girls smiled as Kennedy sighed.

Malia purses her lips together. "Have you talked to them?" She asks. The two girls had been ignoring the phone calls from their friends. Kennedy had decided to spend the night at the Tate house, knowing Malia was the only person who had never lied to her.

Aside from Allison.

Kennedy looks up, "I'm gonna go get some air," Kennedy says softly. Malia nods, letting Kennedy walk out of her room, and down the hall.

Outside, the moon shined down on the Hale as she sat on the deck of the Tate household. She fiddled with her gold bracelet, looking at the arrow in thought. "The last time I did this, I was talking to my homicidal dad," Kennedy whispers, chuckling to herself. She looks up, her eyes glossy. "Alli, so much has happened since you've been gone." The Hale looks down, fighting back tears. "Stiles and I stayed broken up. I went to Paris, then London. I almost killed someone. I came home. Stiles and I got back together. Your aunt is alive, but you probably know that. And now there's assassins trying to kill all of my friends, and now I found out my dads a cheating scum bag and it's no wonder why my mom almost left him," Kennedy looks at the sky again, swallowing the hard lump in her throat. "I wish you were here. I really need you right now, Allison. I just need my best friend."

༺❀༻

Kennedy and Malia sat in the Hale's car. "Wait, so what are we doing?" Malia asks in confusion.

Kennedy looks at the Tate, "Well, first, I thought you and I could get coffee, and then we're going to the vault." She explains.

"And then what?"

"Well, first, we'll try and get you to open the vault yourself. Because only Hale's can open the vault," Kennedy trailed off, nodding her head back and forth.

Malia chimes in, "And if I can't open the vault, I'm not a Hale!" She exclaims. Kennedy snaps her fingers, nodding. "But if I can open it,"

Kennedy shrugs, "Then I might kill my dad, lose my alpha status, you can teach me how to turn into a wolf wolf, and you can turn into a coyote, and we can run around the woods for the rest of our boring long lives." She explains, pulling into the drive thru of a coffee shop.

"I actually like that plan," Malia says to herself as Kennedy orders them two mocha lattes. Kennedy pulls further to the first window.

"Can you hand me my purse?" Kennedy asks. Malia looks at her feet, reaching down and grabbing Kennedy's handbag. "Look, I understand why they didn't tell me,"

Malia looks over in confusion, "You do?" She inquired.

Kennedy hands the card to the cashier. "I think I do," She muttered. The cashier hands the card back over, and Kennedy slowly drives to the second window. "My dad was my idol as a kid. And then within an hour of me getting me memory back, he died. Then, he came back." Malia listened closely to the story. "They probably didn't want to ruin the way I saw him, at least in the dad sort of way." Kennedy said honestly. The person at the second window handed Kennedy their coffees. Kennedy handed one to Mali, and the Tate sniffed it questioningly. "Try it! Don't chug it though, it's really hot."

Malia eyes the girl suspiciously, bringing the coffee cup to her lips. She sips on the hot coffee, pulling it away quickly. "It's good, but I think I burnt my tongue," She said with a frown. Kennedy laughed, driving down the road.

"I've done that once or twice myself."

The Alpha drove into the school parking lot. Malia frowned as she followed Kennedy. The two girls approached the school sign. Beacon Hills High School. Kennedy looked at the same symbol that was in the basement that she had opened for them the night before. Kennedy glanced at Malia, slowly moving to the side. The were-coyote looks down in thought. Malia flicks her claws, reaching over. Her nails lock into the circle, just like Kennedy's did. The two girls watched silently as the lock twisted and turned, before pushing in.

Malia stepped back, "I guess I am a Hale," She mumbled, looking at Kennedy. It was bitter sweet. Kennedy had always wanted a sister. But this meant so many horrible things that Kennedy couldn't understand.

"Maybe there's something down here," Kennedy offers, gesturing to the stairs leading down into the vault. "Something that can tell us more about you?"

The two girls looked back down the stairs. Malia clenched her jaw, taking the first steps. The stairs felt like an eternity. To Malia, it made sense that they were sisters. From the moment they met, the two girls shared a connection Malia had never felt before, and something Kennedy hadn't felt either, aside from when she walked into Hale house for the 'first' time. Kennedy felt stupid for not piecing it together soon, but she felt even more stupid for not realizing everyone had been lying to them.

Malia gazed at the shelves with Kennedy. The Hale looked at the shelf she and Scott found the apparent magical mushrooms. Her phone began to vibrate, and she pulls it out of her purse.

The Tate looks over. "Stiles?"

Kennedy purses her lips together. "Stiles," She replied. Kennedy pressed the reject button, shoving it back into her purse. She'd probably call him later, once she and Malia knew more. Malia approached the vault that once held the 117 million dollars of bonds. Kennedy walks over, unsure how to open it. Malia grabs the handle, pulling. Kennedy frowned as Malia struggled. "Here, can I?"

Malia stepped back, letting Kennedy grab hold. Kennedy inhaled deeply, tugging. She closed her eyes, feeling the metal bend under her grip. Malia watches, impressed as the metal snaps, the handle falling into Kennedy's hand. "Cool," Malia shrugs, moving to open the safe. The apparent sisters looked into the vault, all that was in there was a singular folder.

Malia Tate - Adoption Records

"Holy-" Kennedy whispered. Kennedy paused, as did Malia. The sound of foot steps approaching causes both girls to spin around.

Peter Hale came to a halt, realization crossing his features as he sees the two girls standing side by side. "I gotta buy a better safe." He comments, followed by a sigh.

"Dad," Kennedy warns as Peter steps forwards.

"I can't let you leave here with that." Peter said, glancing at Malia.

Malia held the folder to her chest. "Maybe you won't have a choice." She stated calmly.

Peter rose a brow, circling the girls. Malia and Kennedy stood side by side. "Is that right?" He asks them.

"I think I could take you." Malia deadpanned.

Kennedy cocked her head. "I know I can." She shrugs, nonchalant.

"You've heard rumors I'm not as strong as I used to be." Peter says, raising a brow.

Malia and Kennedy shared a look. "Something like that." Malia replied. Without a word, Peter punched the pilar next to him. It crashes around him, Malia jumping slightly. Kennedy seemed unbothered, knowing her fathers antics were nothing more than that. Antics.

Peter tilted his head to the side. "I said you can't leave with it. I didn't say you couldn't read it." He tells the girls. Kennedy and Malia share a look.

Kennedy watched as the Tate slowly open the folder. It wasn't much. There was a baby photo of Malia, a certificate that certified Malia's adoption. And a blood covered adoption request. Malia rolled her eyes, tossing it into the safe.

"You wanna talk about it? See a family counselor?" Peter asks the girls.

Malia turns around, "There's nothing in there." She tells him.

Peter frowned. "Cost me a lot of money to get that file."

"Well, Dad, sorry, but you got ripped off."
Kennedy deadpanned, going to walk away.

Peter steps by them, "You know what happens when you only hear one side of a story?" Kennedy and Malia slow their pace, looking at him. "You've only heard one side of the story."

Kennedy scoffs. "You mean the story where you cheated on Mom, got another woman pregnant, gave the baby up for adoption, and then tried to act like the victim when my mom dumped your ass and left you for Deucalion?" The Hale snaps, glaring at her dad.

"Sloane knew about the affair, yes. She did not know about Malia, or who the woman was." Peter tells the girl. "But she was my wife. And I loved her dearly."

Malia spoke up, "You murdered people. Not killed. Murdered." She told him, annoyed.

Peter rose a brow, "There were extenuating circumstances." He mumbled.

"Like what? The fire?"

Kennedy visibly tensed at the mention of the fire. Peter noticed this, "A fire that nearly burned me and my daughter alive. The fire that killed my wife. Six years in a coma. Do you know what that's like for one of us?" He asks Malia, looking at the two girls. Kennedy clenched her jaw. "It's not a pleasant sleep. Imagine it. Being trapped in your body, but still being fully cognizant. Knowing your daughter's memory was erased with no way to save her." Malia and Kennedy shared a look. "Unable to do anything other than listen to your own thoughts slowly driving you absolutely and totally insane, minute-by-minute, day-by-day." Peter explained to the two girls who were both his daughters. He rose a brow, shaking his head. "Yes, I've done horrible, terrible things. And so have a lot of people. And horrible, terrible things are going to keep happening. Especially when there's a dead pool with your name on it."

Malia rose a brow, "But not yours. And not Kennedy's." Kennedy looked at her dad.

"True." Peter says, leaning onto the vault. "But I am not The Benefactor. I'm just a father who's out millions of dollars. A few thousand of which I used trying to help you."

Malia rose a brow. "Me?"

Peter shrugs his shoulders. "How does the bad guy prove that he's not so bad?" He asks, "By doing an act of kindness."

"What could you ever do for me?" Malia asks, shaking her head.

"Help you find your mother." Peter answered. Kennedy glanced at Malia who's mouth slowly shut. "I'm pretty interested myself as the memory was stolen from me by my sister, Talia."

Malia shrugs her shoulders. "Okay. What did you find?"

"A woman, might be her." Peter informed. "I don't have a name yet, just a particularly interesting alias. She's called The Desert Wolf." Kennedy swallowed thickly, looking at Malia. "Do you know what that means?" Peter asks.

Malia nods, looking at Peter. "Coyote." She answered.

༺❀༻

Malia stood outside Kennedy's car, at her house. "Well, that was eventful," The Tate muttered.

Kennedy nods, looking up at Malia. "You know," Kennedy says slowly, "If I had to have any secret sister in the world," The Hale reaches her hand out, grabbing Malia's. "I'm glad it's you."

Malia smiled softly, "I'm glad it's you, too." She tells Kennedy. Kennedy pulled her arm back into the car, starting the engine. "Where are you going?"

"I have to see Stiles."

"There's something I didn't tell you about the car crash." Malia blurts. Kennedy looks up. "Right before we got in the car, my mother. My adoptive mother, I guess," She paused, "We got into a huge fight. I don't even remember what it was about, but, I remember what I said."

Kennedy sighed, "M,"

Malia cuts her off, "I said, I wish you were all dead." She quoted, her eyes filled with tears. Kennedy looks up, her eyes sad. She slowly slides out of the car, pulling Malia in tightly. Kennedy rubbed her back soothingly.

"Killing doesn't run in a family," Kennedy whispers, looking up at the girl who was now her sister. Malia looks up slowly, shaking her head.

"Maybe it runs in ours."

༺❀༻

Stiles walked into his room tiredly. He came to a pause, seeing Kennedy. She stood there, staring at his murder board, the list on his desk. She turns to look back at him, am unreadable expression on her face. "Hey." Stiles says softly.

"Hi," Kennedy replies, giving a closed mouth smile.

"Where have you been?"

Kennedy bites the inside of her cheek. "Malia and I were talking to Peter." She answered slowly.

Stiles fiddled with his hands. "Okay." He trailed off slowly, "You think that's a good idea?"

"If he can help us find Malia's mother, I don't think we care." Kennedy told him honestly. She looked up at him, watching Stiles walk in.

Stiles approached his girlfriend. "You might be related to him, but you're not like him. Neither is Malia."

Kennedy shrugged. She thought about what Malia had said before, what everyone had said about Kennedy after the discovery she was Peter Hale's daughter. "Maybe I am." She said softly. She swallowed the lump in her throat. She looks at Stiles sadly. "Do you remember Lydia's party during the Kanima drama? What happened?" She asks him.

"Um, I remember we were all drugged by Lydia and your dad." He answered awkwardly.

Kennedy looked down. "Do you remember how we found out Matt was the one controlling Jackson?"

Stiles looked back in thought. "You pushed him into the pool," He tells her, remembering that.

"Do you know why?"

"Um, he was a creepy stalker that took photos of you?" Stiles says, unsure where this was going.

Kennedy guiltily looked at the ground. "That's not all that happened." She whispered under her breath. When she looked up, her eyes met Stiles. His eyes were filled with love, like always. She stepped forward, "Do you trust me?"

Stiles nods, "Of course," He tells her honestly. Kennedy looks at her hand, watching her claws grow out. Kennedy's eyes sadly meet his, her claws reaching to the back of his neck.

"Kennedy, wait," Matt grabbed Kennedy's arm, pulling her back towards him. The then Stallard was taken aback by his force. "Come on, you know it's just some harmless photos."

"Then let me see them." She stated coldly. Matt shook his head slowly, he had thought she was joking. "Let me see the damn photos myself and I'll decide if they're harmless or not."

Matt looked at her for a long moment, unsure what to say. "Fine." He walked out of the room, and Kennedy looked around for any sign of her friends. No Allison, no Scott, no Stiles, and no Lydia. She exhaled sharply, walking after Matt.

The night was looming, and the streets were more ominous and dark without the views of Lydia's backyard. Kennedy pursed her lips together, wondering how she was going to deal with Matt with the full moon beaming down right on her. Matt walked to his car, opening up the back door. Kennedy crossed her arms expectantly. "I'm not going to wait all day." She muttered.

"Hold on." Matt snipped. After a few more moments, he turned back around with his camera. "Here."

Kennedy took the camera from his hands, flipping through whatever was there. Surely enough, there Kennedy was. To her surprise, her eyes weren't always glowing. She figured it was from her only recently discovering her wolf side two months prior. There were photos of her at school, in class, at lacrosse, in Stiles's Jeep, at home, in various rooms. There was a photo of her changing, which caused Kennedy to get more pissed. But before she could say anything, she comes across a series of photos of her, from not too long ago. It was the Hale House, which was soon to be destroyed in the coming weeks, and it was her walking towards it.

"You followed me?" She asked, looking up at him. She could feel the betrayal, the invasion of her privacy. She felt dirty.

"Well, I just wanted to take photos and get to know you." Matt told her. It was clearly not clicking that this was wrong, or maybe he didn't care.

Kennedy scoffed, "You could've talked to me like a normal person." She whispered, emotions swirling in her chest. "You have photos of me naked." She waved the camera in the air. It was unbelievable. Kennedy didn't even want to think what else Matt could have that she didn't find.

Matt stepped forwards, his hands on her arms. "I'm sorry, I never meant to hurt you." He said softly. He was suspiciously calm. Kennedy looked at his arm placement in confusion. "I meant to do this."

Before Kennedy could react, Matt pulled her in for a kiss. His lips pressed against hers harshly. Kennedy drops the camera in shock, trying to push him away. Matt pushes her, pinning her body against the side of his car. Kennedy attempts to pull away, but he doesn't stop. "Get off of me!" She shouts in between the moments she can get his lips off of hers. Her mind began to race. Was this seriously happening? Where was Allison? Or Scott? Or Stiles? Or literally anyone to get her out of this.

However, Matt pressured on, "Come on, Kenny. You know we've always had chemistry, ever since we first met in class." His voice was rough and possessive, making the Stallard's skin crawl. He leaned clsoer, "What about now, Kennedy? We could do this, right now." Terror struck through Kennedy's body. Then, like a switch, something changed in her. Maybe it was adrenaline, maybe it was her inner Hale. She didn't know, or care. Kennedy's eyes flash yellow. In a swift push, Matt falls to the pavement. Kennedy's eyes are glossy as she looks down at him with a look of hatred, disgust, horror.

"You have one minute."

Matt looks at her in confusion. "What?"

"You have one minute to run the hell away before I rip you to shreds." Kennedy looks down at him, a cold look in her eye. "59,58,57,"

Stiles snaps back into reality as Kennedy pulls her claws away. He had no idea things had gone so far. Tears rolled down her cheeks as she slowly looked away. "I wanted to kill him." She said slowly. "I didn't care if I drowned him that night."

"Kennedy, he-"

"I know he deserved it," Kennedy cut him off, looking at her boyfriend. "But that's not the first or the last time. I almost killed Mr. Harris, Deucalion wanted me because I'd be a good killer, I almost killed Matt, and Jennifer, the man in the bar, and I helped kill my dad! They've all might've deserved it but what does it mean if I'm always the one doing it!?"

Stiles had tears rolling down his face. He grabbed Kennedy's face with his hands, forcing her to look at him. "Kennedy, you are not Peter. You never will be Peter." The boys tells her firmly. "You are Kennedy Dawn Hale. You are smart, you are kind, you are loving, you are good. Not evil." Kennedy searched his eyes, trying to find the right words to say. "You are not a monster. You are not him."

Kennedy's face crumbled as she hugged Stiles tightly. The boy moved them to the bed, holding the girl as she sobbed into his chest. So much had been revealed that night. The looming nightmares coming to surface. Stiles shushed her quietly, rubbing her back as they rocked back and forth. Kennedy clutched onto Stiles, letting out every emotion she had held back since the beginning of it all.