✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:*3.06*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧

MOTEL CALIFORNIA: WHERE THOSE WHO ENTER HAVE ONLY ONE WAY OUT

'what? i doubt very much they clean these sheets properly and if you were to get a blue light in here i bet this room would be covered in unknown stains... i'll take my chances on the floor.'

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tw: mentions of suicide

The school bus pulled up to one of the most dilapidated, rundown motels Lottie had ever seen as the doors of the bus swung open. GLEN CAPRI, greeted them tiredly. Exhausted she stepped off the bus carefully as Scott and Stiles trailed after her, followed by Allison and Lydia.

"I've seen worse." Scott tried, looking at the motel.

"Where have you seen worse?" Stiles asked rhetorically whilst Lottie grinned up at him as he wrapped his arm gently around her shoulder.

"He's right, you know. Where on Earth have you seen anywhere worse?" Lottie agreed.

"Well-"

A shrill whistle blew loudly as Coach made his way over to the teens with a handful of room keys. "Listen up. The Meet has been pushed back to tomorrow morning. This is the closest motel with the most vacancies and least amount of good judgement in accepting a group of degenerates like yourselves. You'll be pairing up. Choose wisely." He instructed as he began to distribute the keys. "You and you, fine. Scott, Stiles. Ethan, Danny--behave yourselves. Lottie, Allison, Lydia... Allison, Lydia?" Coach rattled off names before landing on the two stowaways who just smiled.

"Thanks Coach. We can share." Allison grinned as she picked up a set of keys. Coach shook off his confusion before returning his attention to the team of cross country runners. "And I'll have no sexual perversions perpetrated by you deviants. Got that? Keep your dirty little hands to your dirty little selves." As if possessed, Stiles couldn't help but slide his hand lower until he had Lottie's ass cheek firmly in his hand as the girl's eyes bulged before she let out a giggle, slapping his chest lightly.

"If you think anything of the sort will be happening in this place... you need that pretty little head of yours checked." She teased, reaching up and kissing the corner of his mouth, leaving his lips following hers as she pulled away. "Sorry, it's girls night tonight. Coach's orders." She smirked before heading over to Allison who was looking at Lydia in confusion. The strawberry blonde was staring up at the motel with fear in her eyes.

"Lydipad?" Lottie called out, wrapping an arm around the girl and stroking her arm gently, trying to erase the fear in her eyes.

"I don't like this place." Lydia mumbled as she clutched Lottie's hand tightly.

Allison made her way over, wrapping her arms around her girls, "I don't think the people who own this place like this place. It's just for a night."

"A lot can happen in one night." Lydia sighed as Allison dragged the two towards their room as a sinking feeling hit Lottie's stomach viciously.

The trio made their way to their room quickly, eager to get the night over and done with. Allison entered their room quickly but Lydia and Lottie stood at the threshold, uneasily. "You're really freaked out, aren't you?" Allison asked.

"I just have this feeling like coming here wasn't an accident." Lydia replied.

"And I think I'm just exhausted, I got my ass kicked last night and need sleep. Hopefully when I wake up this sacrificial shit is over... I'm over it." Lottie grumbled, laying on the bed reluctantly.

"What do you mean not an accident? Like we were supposed to come here? Like fate?" Allison asked dubiously.

"I don't know. Something."

"I don't believe in fate." Allison stated as she walked over to Lydia and pulled her into the room as Lottie held out her arms for Lydia to fall into - which she did so eagerly.

"Well maybe you should." Lydia mumbled as Lottie stroked her hair gently.

"Right..." Allison mumbled, watching her two best friends cosy up on the bed before smiling softly. "Well, I'm gonna have a shower. Can you two grab some more towels please?"

"Allycat." Lottie whined. "I'm so comfortable."

"Do you want me to drip dry everywhere? Besides, the towels we have stink. Smell them!" Allison grinned as she backed herself into the bathroom throwing the towels at the two girls as Lottie groaned. Lydia chuckled, pulling Lottie up.

"Come on, we can grab a snack?" Lydia tried as Lottie fought a smile. "I know you want to smile so theres no point fighting it."

"Fine. But if there's no gummy worms I need to track down either Stiles or Isaac because they always have some for some reason." Lottie replied.

"Because they love you Lotts. I normally have them on me now but they're in my other bag." Lydia grinned as they walked back down to the reception desk, both feeling the eerie chill running down their spines.

"So like on a scale of one to ten, how likely do you reckon it is that we are gonna die tonight?" Lottie asked as she swung Lydia's hand.

"A healthy seven point five?" Lydia joked back, ignoring the voices screaming in the back of her mind to run.

"Ah, so there is hope yet." Lottie chuckled as they approached the reception desk, a dark, musty looking space with an elderly woman sat behind the desk, watching TV.

"Excuse me," Lydia called out as the woman still sat facing the TV, "the card on the dresser says we have a non-smoking room. Yet somehow every one of our towels reeks of nicotine." Lydia was right, Lottie wasn't sure if it were her heightened senses or what but she felt suffocated by the smell. The desk clerk slowly turned around revealing a tracheostomy tube attached to her throat.

"Sorry about that sweetheart." The clerk apologised as she reached for new towels. Lydia was bouncing from foot to foot, trying to avoid staring at the woman's throat when Lottie cleared her throat, noticing something peculiar framed behind said woman.

"Excuse me? What's that? Those numbers, '198'?" She asked as she pointed to the framed numbers, drawing Lydia's attention to them.

The woman glanced between the numbers and the girls, a ghost of a smile on her face, "Oh, that's kind of an inside thing for the motel. My husband insists on keeping it up."

"Forgive my curiosity but what does it mean?" Lottie pursued an answer, something was telling her that she needed to know what they represented.

"It's a little morbid to be honest. You sure you want to know?"

Lydia glanced at Lottie before they nodded at one another, "Tell us." Lydia instructed.

The woman leaned closer to the girls, moving so she was resting her upper body on the counter, ready to release the information, "We're not going to make it to the top of anyone's list when it comes to customer satisfaction."

"You don't say?" Lottie asked sarcastically, a mock look of shock falling on her face.

"Heh, but we are number one in California when it comes to one disturbing little detail." The clerk grinned at the two confused girls standing opposite her. "Since opening, we've had the most guest suicides, more than any other motel in California." She grinned, pointing up at the number.

"One hundred, ninety-eight." Lydia whispered out.

With that same eerie smile the clerk looked at the girls, "And counting."

"You know, you shouldn't be so proud of that fact. Your motel is literally so awful people kill themselves to get out of it. You should have shut this place down years ago. Stop smiling, you weirdo." Lottie scolded, taking the fresh towels in one hand and Lydia's hand in the other and headed towards where she knew the vending machine was. "What a freak!"

"Lo? You know that bad feeling I had?" Lydia mumbled as Lottie stopped in her tracks, "It just got so much worse."

"Oh God. We're gonna die." Lottie groaned, throwing her head back and looking up at the sky. "Well you won't. I won't let you." She grinned tiredly before they made their way to the vending machine. "What the fuck?" Lottie swore as the sight before her shocked her completely. The vending machine glass had been smashed to pieces and one of the coils was hanging out.

"I'm not even surprised. Just take a handful and let go. I'm getting really freaked out." Lydia looked around, eyes everywhere. Lottie shrugged before grinning as she spotted a whole row of gummy worms, letting out a squeal she took six bags and opened one immediately. "Lydipad, can you take the towels and gummies a sec, I wanna text Stiles." As Lydia did so, Lottie took out her phone.

Catwoman: Guess who just secured herself six bags of gummy worms :)

Batman: Ah, you found Boyd's handiwork, I also grabbed you a couple bags too <3

Catwoman: Boyd? He smashed it up? Why? Couldn't he have just used your patented method and shook it? ;)

Batman: I offered ;) but it was really weird, like he was in a trance or something ???

Catwoman: Huh, guess he really wanted those snacks?? Back at the room now, this place is weirdddddd

Batman: I'll sneak out and come and see you soon <3

Catwoman: please do <3

Lottie put her phone away with a smile as she reentered her room. As she sat herself on one of the beds, munching away on her gummy worms, she realised Lydia had already begun to inform Allison of the motel's morbid mortality rates - or lack thereof.

"One hundred and ninety-eight? Really?" Allison asked, shocked as she got dressed.

"Yes. And if we're talking forty years, on average that's only about four point nine five a year which is sort of expected. But commemorating it with a framed number? Who does that? Who?" Lydia asked rhetorically.

"And the look on the clerks face? She was proud! Don't get me wrong, I'm a sucker for an award but an award for the most suicides? Not exactly something I'd want to scream from the rooftops." Lottie added before throwing a gummy worm in the air and catching expertly.

"All suicides?" Allison repeated.

"Yes. Hanging, throat cutting, pill popping, both barrels of a shotgun in the mouth suicides. And I don't know about you but-" Lydia cut herself off as Lottie continued rallying off methods of suicides.

"Drowning, suffocation, poisoning, murder-suicide-"

"Did you guys hear that?" Lydia asked, cutting Lottie off as she cocked her head slightly.

"Hear what?" Allison asked as Lottie felt a sharp pain in her head, letting out a hiss of pain. Lydia sent a concerned glance to Lottie before peering up to an air vent that was on the wall above the headboard of one of the beds.

Lottie clutched her temples in her hands, her breath taken by the wave of pain that took over. But as quickly as it came it left as she felt nothing but a dull ache - a shadow of the pain she'd just experienced. Holding out a hand, she helped Lydia climb onto the bed as the strawberry blonde made her way over to the air vent, shushing Allison when the girl called out to her.

"Oh my God–" Lydia whispered as Lottie looked up at her in concern, rubbing her temples gently. Suddenly, Lydia staggered back holding a hand to her mouth as she fell back into Lottie.

"What is it? Lydipad what happened?" Lottie asked concern seeping into her voice.

"You didn't hear that?" Lydia asked as tears approached her eyes and she glanced between Allison and Lottie, feeling like she was going crazy.

"Hear what?" Allison replied, a look matching Lottie's concern on her face.

Lydia stood making her way to the door, urgency clear in her body, "They shot each other. Two people in the next room– they just shot each other." And with that she was out of the room, searching for the couple. Lottie stood to follow but stopped short when another wave of pain hit her head. Breathing deeply, she steadied herself and took the hand Allison reached out to her, following after their friend.

"Lottie, are you okay? Are you still not healing?" Allison asked worriedly, looking down at her friend.

Still clutching her head, Lottie nodded shortly, "Yeah, I'm healing, I'm just getting these brain crushing headaches? I'm sure it's just tiredness. Come on." Lottie sighed, heading for Lydia who was bursting into the room next door. Allison sighed too, wishing Lottie would, just for once, let someone worry about her.

"Lydia?" Allison called out as the girl was flicking a light switch on to no avail - it didn't seem to be connected to the electrics. "Lydia what are you doing?" She tried again as Lydia reached around in the darkness. The girl stopped her search when she found the switch to a floor lamp, illuminating the room. The trio took in their surroundings. There wasn't a couple. There was no blood splatter. There were just plastic sheets on the furniture and paint cans on a workbench amongst other work tools.

"I-I don't get it. It had to be here." Lydia mumbled before turning back to her friends. "You didn't hear them?"

"Who?" Allison asked.

"It was a guy and girl. They sounded young and... they were here. I'm not lying." Lydia swore, hoping they'd believe her.

"We believe you." Allison and Lottie replied at the same time, sending Lydia a comforting smile.

"After all this time and everything we've been through, I believe you." Allison continued.

"I'm leaving. I can't stay here." Lydia decided, storming back to their room. Allison followed quickly as Lottie stayed, glancing around the room, massaging the pain in her temples away before she sluggishly made her way back to their room, collapsing in a heap on the bed.

"You want to leave? Like find another motel?" Allison asked, watching Lydia pack her bag before turning her gaze to Lottie who was pulling Stiles' hoodie over her eyes, blocking out the dim light.

"I'll sleep on a park bench if I have to. Something's seriously wrong with this place and we need to leave." Lydia argued, looking for Lottie's bag and starting to pack that too as Lottie held out her thumb, thanking the girl silently.

"But they were suicides. Not murders.. And it's' not like the place is haunted, right?"

"Werewolves and sirens are real Allycat. I'm not shutting down ghosts." Lottie grumbled as she curled up on herself.

Lydia sent a look of worry to the small brunette before replying to Allison, "Maybe it is. I bet that couple did their suicide pact right in that exact room. Maybe that's why they're renovating it. Maybe they've been scraping brain matter off the wood panelling."

"Maybe we should find out." Allison raised a brow at her suggestion and walked over to Lottie, pulling her up as the girl mumbled quiet protests. "Come on, they might have some painkillers or something."

"Do painkillers even work for sirens?" Lottie asked as if the archer would know the answer. When Allison stared back blankly, Lottie grinned, "I'm kidding, I'll ask Mayalila when I'm back. I'm due a catch up. It's been too long."

A sign that read "BACK AT 6AM" greeted the girls when they reached the front desk. Lottie let out an audible groan before leaning over and dinging a bell she found, hitting it repeatedly until Lydia gently pulled her hand away. "There goes that." She shrugged defeatedly as she wrapped an arm around Lottie. Allison looked past the two with a worried look on her face.

"Lydia, didn't you say the number was one ninety-eight?" A tremor made its way into Allison's voice as she stared at the framed number transfixed. Lottie and Lydia's eye followed Allison's as they practically bulged at the number on the wall: 201.

"It was one ninety-eight. I swear to God, it was one ninety-eight." Lydia swore as Lottie nodded her head in agreement.

"So what does that mean? Three more suicides have happened?" Allison asked as a shiver of realisation made its way down Lottie's spine.

"Or three more are about to happen."

The three girls glanced up at the number frightened, knowing their night was about to take a turn for the worse. Slowly they made their way back to their room as Lydia took out her phone, sending a text to Stiles whilst Lottie resumed her position curled up on the bed as another wave of pain hit her.

Lottie's Lydia: Need to talk. Just you. Come now.

Lottie's Boyfriend: Is Lotts okay? I'm on my way.

Lydia rolled her eyes with a smile at Stiles' concern for her best friend before she dropped the smile realising her best friend indeed was not okay. But they had other things to worry about right now and if Lottie thought for a second they were prioritising her headaches she'd lose her shit. So Lydia put on a brave face and waited for Stiles to join them.

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Lottie wasn't sure how much time had passed when she woke up to Stiles stroking her hair gently. Blinking up at him with a smile, Lottie adjusted herself in his arms as she tuned herself into the conversation.

"Last time I saw Scott act like that was on the full moon." Allison said, biting back a smile at the couple as it was not the time to fangirl over them, they had more pressing issues to deal with.

"He was definitely off with me too. But actually, Boyd was really off. I watched him put his fist through the vending machine." Stiles added.

"See? It's the motel. We either need to get out of here right now..." Lydia argued, reaching over to the bedside table, pulling out a Bible, "or someone needs to learn how to do an exorcism ASAP before all the werewolves go crazy and kill us." Lottie snorted at the revelation as Stiles gently sat them both more upright.

"Hold on. What if it's not just the motel? The number in the office went up by three, right?" Stiles thought aloud.

"You mean like three sacrifices?" Allison followed his train of thought as a wave of fear followed by a wave of protectiveness hit Lottie.

"What if this time it's three werewolves?"

"Scott, Isaac and Boyd." Allison agreed.

"Hello, sorry to interrupt, but there are four werewolves here? Ethan remember?" Lottie offered as the pain in her temple started again, slowly.

"Maybe we were meant to come here." Stiles theorised.

"Exactly. So can we get the hell out of here now?" Lydia asked rhetorically, standing with her bag. Stiles however, didn't reply, his eyes focused on the Bible in her hands.

"Let me see that." He held his hand out as Lydia passed him the Bible. Carefully he pulled out a newspaper clipping from the pages of the book.

"What is that?" Allison asked.

Eyes scanning the page, Stiles began to read it aloud, "Twenty-eight year-old man hangs himself at the Infamous Glen Capri." He turned a few pages in the Bible and found another clipping. And another. And another. Pulling them out one by one, laying them on the bed in front of him until seven clippings are laid out before them.

"Look at these two." Lottie pointed to two clippings. "They both mention room 217. These must all be suicides that happened in this room." She concluded before looking around the room and jumping up off the bed. "What? I doubt very much they clean these sheets properly and if you were to get a blue light in here I bet this room would be covered in unknown stains... I'll take my chances on the floor." Lottie shrugged as she swayed, the headache crushing her temples. It felt as if she had two bricks either side of her temples fighting to make their way to each other, with no thought for the head they were crushing between them. Stiles quickly wrapped his arms around her waist, standing behind her to steady her as they all looked on worried.

Allison shook off the worry first, "So if there's a Bible in every room..."

"There could be articles in all of the rooms." Lydia finished.

"That's just beautiful. Most places leave a mint on the pillow. This one leaves a record of all of the horrible deaths that occurred." Stiles scoffed sarcastically as Lottie chuckled, nuzzling herself into his chest.

"What if the room next door has the one about the couple?" Lydia asked. The teenagers all glanced at each other before making their way out of the room. Stiles paused at the door looking down at Lottie who looked dazed.

"What's going on with you Lotts?"

"I don't know. Since we've got here my head has been excruciating. At first I thought maybe it was tiredness. Then I thought about sacrifices. But I'm not a set of three. There's not even three sirens left. But it's agony. Like, I feel like my head is being crushed." Lottie admitted, keeping her promise and not keeping her ailments from him.

"And it started when you got here?" Stiles confirmed as Lottie nodded, "Maybe - I uh- have nothing. I'm sorry." He apologised unnecessarily.

"Don't apologise Batman, just go check next door. I'm gonna splash my face and take some painkillers, Lydipad found some earlier." Lottie smiled, reaching up and kissing him gently on his lips, pushing him out the door.

"I'll be right back." He promised and left quickly, figuring the faster he left the quicker he'd be back.

Lottie shut the door and rested her head against it before turning and making her way to the bathroom. Running her hands over her face she reached out and turned the cold tap on running her wrists under the water. She always found that running water over her wrists calmed her down. Quickly she gathered water in her palms and bent down, splashing her way with it, shocking the headache away as the ice water hit her.

Sighing in relief, she stood back to her full height, only to gasp in horror as a figure stood behind her reflection. Freezing in her place, Lottie allowed her siren features to take over as she extended her claws. The figure watched her with curiosity. Lottie couldn't help but recoil at it. Its face was mangled, torn apart and tight. Muscles were exposed and it looked like something she'd seen in one of the many horror movies she'd watched with her dad and Isaac.

An explosive wave of agony hit her, making her vision go black as she felt the air leave her lungs. Her head felt like molten lava was erupting inside it. Not wanting to leave herself defenceless to the figure she turned to face the them, she stumbled into the sink behind her as she was met with the wall - the figure gone and so was her headache.

Lottie let out a sigh before she heard Stiles' panicked voice shout out, "Ethan don't!" And she ran. Bursting into the room she found Stiles about to fall on a, still spinning hand saw as Lydia pulled out it's power cord so without thinking Lottie ran at Stiles, tackling him to the floor.

"I left you alone for five minutes and you almost cut your pretty face off." She grins down at him as he looks to the handsaw inches away from them, slowing its spinning.

"Have I mentioned that I love you lately?" He asked, turning to look up at her.

"Everyday." She grins before turning to look at Ethan who was unsheathing his claws. Allison latched onto one of the werewolves hands whilst Lottie leapt up and grabbed the other, Stiles standing in front him, shouting for him to stop as Ethan tried to gut himself.

The twin yanked them back, sending them all to the floor. Ethan slammed into the wall heater and instantly tore his hands away from the girls, as if he'd been burnt by a hot poker. He spun on Stiles.

"What the hell? What are you doing?" Lottie immediately stood in front of Stiles, flashing her eyes and fangs at the boy who got too close. The other teens looked breathless and frightened as Ethan glanced amongst them. "What happened? What just happened?" He asked confused, his entire demeanour completely different from the self-destructive nature present only seconds ago.

Lottie made her way out to the balcony as Stiles began to question Ethan. Exhaling a deep breath she thought back to that horrific figure and thought about who or what it might be; all she knew was that it must be the cause of her headaches, or at least linked to them. Pulling out her phone she scrolled through her contact list, pausing on a name that sent a wave of grief over her. Biting her lip she dialled reaching their voicemail.

"Hey Toto, it's me-" Her voice wobbled. "I-I don't really know why I'm calling since you- I just. I miss you... and I'm sorry." Lottie's voice cracked as a tear fell down her cheek. "I can't stop thinking that if I just held on a little tighter... a little longer, you'd still be here. I miss you so much. And it's all my fault. I just wish I could hug you one last time. I'm so sorry." She hung up, unable to continue her speech.

Unbeknownst to her, miles away back in Beacon Hills, Derek Hale lay soundly asleep as a woman picked up his phone and deleted the voicemail, smirking as she widened the gap between the two.

Wiping away the tears, Lottie watched as Ethan stormed out. He sent the girl an apologetic look before walking away, leaving her to walk back to her friends. "What now?" She asked as she entered the room.

"I'll find Scott. You guys grab Isaac and Boyd. The best we can do is get them out of this place." Allison decided, taking on the leading role, leaving the three as she rushed to Scott and Stiles' room.

"Well, sounds like a plan, let's go!" Lottie grabbed her boyfriend's hand and her best friends hand with the aim of going to Isaac and Boyd's room, only to stop when Lydia noticed Stiles was staring at her.

"What Stiles? Why are you looking at me like that?" Lottie turned to see what Lydia meant and sure enough he had his thinking look on his face.

"I wasn't looking-" Stiles began, only for Lottie to cut him off.

"Stiles... truth please." She said with a mocking stern look on her face.

"Okay, I didn't want to say it. But we've kind of been through something like this before. A lot like this."

"What do you mean? When?" Lydia asked as Lottie began to realise Stiles' train of thought.

Stiles cringed slightly before Lottie squeezed his hand three times, ensuring him it was okay, "Your birthday party. The night you poisoned everyone with wolfsbane?" He offered uneasily as Lydia looked offended. Lottie held her hands up in surrender, not getting involved.

Lydia stormed off ahead, dragging Lottie who in turn dragged Stiles along with her. "Lydia, I didn't mean you're trying to kill people. I meant that maybe you're somehow involved in getting people to kill themselves. Which now that I've said it aloud sounds just as bad and yes, I will stop talking now."

"Probably a good idea, babe." Lottie grinned as she walked into Lydia who had abruptly paused at a sewer grate. Slowly the girl crouched down, eyes locked on the grate as Lottie and Stiles watched, worried.

"Do you hear that?" Lydia asked.

"No. Lydia, what do you hear?' Stiles asked fearfully.

"A baby crying. Its mother--she can't get it to stop crying. And I hear... I hear water running." She explained as her eyes widened in horror and the breath caught in her throat.

"Lydipad?"

"Oh my God, she's drowning it. The baby. She's drowning the baby." Lydia shot up, spinning to face the two teens. "Someone's drowning."

The two lovebirds didn't question their friend as they bolted for Boyd and Isaac's room, crashing through the door and running to the bathroom. Lottie stopped at the threshold as water was overflowing onto the tiled floor, she was sure she wouldn't transform as her shoes had a fair platform to them but she decided not to risk it. Boyd was laying in the tub, completely submerged with a safe laying on top of himself, keeping him under.

Stiles reached into the tub, splashing in the water as he searched for the drain, "He blocked it--he blocked the drain with something. I can't get to it." Stiles panicked. Lydia raced over to help lift the safe, getting nowhere. Lottie began to enter the bathroom, aiming to help but Stiles stopped her. "Lotts, don't you might not stay human. Find Isaac." Lottie nodded determinedly as pulled out her phone, the first thing she'd do would be to call Isaac, at least his phone would ring and hopefully he'd be with it.

"Is he dead? How long can a werewolf stay underwater?" Lydia asked about Boyd who remained motionless.

"You think I know?" Stiles replied, straining to lift the safe until they both let go. He took a step back, hitting his hand on the hot radiator behind him. "The heater--Ethan came out of it when he touched the heater. Heat--heat does it. We gotta' burn him. We need fire, heat, something–"

"He's under water?!" Lydia retorted.

Stiles groaned as Lottie dialled Isaac's number, going straight to voicemail. "I'm aware of that!"

"Wait--the bus--on the bus there'll be emergency road flares. They've got their own oxidizers. They can burn underwater." Lydia instructed Stiles to run and get them as Lottie made her way over to one of the beds in the room, tucked against a wall. She heard light quick breaths and held her own as she crouched down on her hands and knees, peering under the bed.

"Oh Isaac." Lottie gasped out as she found Isaac tucked up against the wall under the bed, rocking back and forth in the foetal position, as whimpers left his mouth. "Isaac sweetheart, can you come out for me please?" She asked as she held out a tentative hand under the bed, frowning as Isaac flinched. "Oh sweetie, I'd never hurt you. You're my family. Please come out." Isaac only hid his eyes behind his hands as he whispered.

"Please don't lock me in. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. Please don't hit me." Over and over until the words were ingrained into Lottie's memory and she was suddenly wishing that Isaac's father were alive, just so that she could torture him in ways that were unspeakable. Stiles came running in with a handful of flares as Lottie untucked her head from under the bed.

"Stiles, flare me!" She shouted as she caught the flare he threw at her. "Isaac, it's gonna be very bright for a minute okay? But you'll feel better, I promise." And with that she lit the flare and threw it under the bed.

Seconds later, Isaac was scrambling out from under the bed and landing in Lottie's open arms as they sat crouched on the floor. Stiles, Lydia and Boyd left the bathroom, Stiles and Lydia to find Scott and Boyd to make his way to the bus for the night. Lottie mouthed at them that she'd meet them as she cradled Isaac's head in her hand as she held him to her. Stiles sent her a comforting smile and mouthed for her to be careful before going after Scott.

"You're okay." Lottie mumbled over and over again as Isaac clung to his lifeline. "It's all okay. You never have to go through that again. I promise. It'll never happen again for as long as I live. You're safe."

"I thought- I was back- I-" Isaac mumbled as he pulled back from Lottie's embrace, tears streaming down his face rapidly. Lottie clutched his face between her hands and wiped away the tears, smiling sadly at him.

"I know; but you're safe. At least from him. It's the sacrifices. Whoever it is, is targeting werewolves tonight apparently. They've gone after all of you." Lottie explained as she returned her hands to her lap. "Stiles and Lydia are going to find Scott."

"I need to help to-" Isaac tried, standing up shakily as he held out a hand for Lottie to do the same.

"No. What you need is rest. I'm going to find them once you've calmed down and are settled. Then you're going to meet Boyd and we are all sleeping on that bright yellow bus until we can leave." Lottie said with a tone of finality in her voice.

"Go find Scott, I'm gonna freshen up and then I'll meet you at the bus. Thank you... for everything." Isaac mumbled, fighting the urge to ask her what was really on his mind - it had been for hours.

"You don't need to thank me, it's what I'm here for." Lottie grinned as she slowly made her way to the door.

"Lottie?" He called out, drawing her attention back to him. "Earlier on you called me something. Lahey-Bailey. What did you mean?" Lottie froze. She'd completely forgotten she'd called him that. "What- what did you mean?" Isaac asked hesitantly.

Lottie turned to face the young werewolf, holding her hands out in awkward jazz hands she answered, "Surprise?" Smiling awkwardly, she continued, "Well, this isn't how Dad and I wanted to tell you, I'll admit. Okay, so, you know how since Dad has been back, he and I are getting along really well and are close again?" Lottie admitted - it was true, the three of them now spent one night a week having movie nights, laughing and joking together, it was a ritual. "Well I mean, he adores you. You're the son he always wanted but never got. I'm so annoyed at myself for ruining the surprise."

"What surprise Lottie?" Isaac asked.

"Dad applied for the adoption papers." Lottie admitted nervously as she smiled. The silence was deafening as Lottie tried to gauge Isaac's reaction, watching as realisation fell upon his face.

Isaac felt a whirlwind of emotions hit him all at once. Shock: at the offer bestowed upon him. Fear: of letting down the people - his new family - who had offered him unconditional love, care and safety. Sadness: at the idea of leaving behind his past, letting go of not only the horror, but also the memories once held happily, the ones with his mother and brother. Joy: at the overwhelming amount of love he felt pouring out of Lottie as she looked at him with bated breath and a smile. Happiness: at the idea of stability, a sister, a father who cared for him - maybe even loved him - like he'd always wanted. And finally; Acceptance; two people who wanted him, skeletons and all.

"You don't have to say anything right now. But Dad suggested it the other week? I mean, to me, you're already my brother. The name is subject to change of course. You could keep Lahey. Or change it? Lahey-Bailey, just Bailey. Whatever you want. If you want-" Lottie rambled until Isaac ran at her, wrapping his arms under hers as he bundled her in a hug so tight she felt her breath escape her.

"Yes. A thousand times yes. Please I-" Isaac broke out into a sob as Lottie let a relieved smile fall onto her face as she relaxed into his arms and laughed, joy filling her despite the morbid surroundings.

"Yes?" Lottie laughed out in surprise.

"Always a yes, little sis." Isaac laughed between sobs. "We're gonna be a family?" Isaac asked, not missing the fact that Lottie's dad had suggested it. James wanted Isaac to be his son - and by God did Isaac want that too.

"We are a family, Isaac. We always have been." She smiled as he put her down, wiping his tears as she wiped her own. The two wrapped up in their joyous bubble, soaking up the moment. "Oh, can you act surprised when Dad tells you? He's gonna kill me otherwise."

"I dunno. Isn't that what brothers are supposed to do? Tell tales." Isaac grinned teasingly.

"Don't you dare." Lottie poked out her tongue as she made to leave the room. "I'll meet you on the bus... brother."

"See you there... sister."

Lydipad: Parking lot. Now

Lottie sprinted down the stairs and rushed to the parking lot only to be greeted by a sight that had her heart skip a beat. Scott was standing with his back to her in a pool of gasolene, holding a flare dangerously low to the floor. She stopped short, standing behind Scott, holding her hands out in front of her, beginning the arduous task of syphoning the liquid up into her palms. She had no idea how it would work since it was potentially explosive but she controlled the element and made quick work of it, the strain wearing her down quickly.

"All of it started that night. The night I was bitten. Remember what it was like before that? You, me and Lottie?" Scott spoke out, turning to face Lottie as she looked at him pleadingly. "We were nothing. We weren't popular. You and I weren't good at lacrosse Stiles. The three of us weren't important. We were no one." Scott continued his path of self destruction as Allison sobbed quietly and Lydia watched horrified. "Maybe I should be no one again. No one at all."

Stiles took a tentative step forward, inching closer to the gasolene as Lottie's focus on syphoning faltered, she'd barely made a dent in the mass pool of flammable liquid as it burned slightly as it entered her veins. However, if Stiles got any closer to the liquid she'd lose it. "But you are someone. You're my best friend. You're my brother." Stiles replied to Scott, an odd calmness in his voice, like he'd reached a conclusion internally. "So, I guess you're going to have to take me with you." And with that he stepped into the gasolene.

The next few events all happened at the same time. Allison raised her hands to her mouth in shock as another sob ripped its way out of her throat. Lydia gasped and took an instinctive step closer. And Lottie? She was in the gasolene before Stiles' foot even hit the pavement, running over to him.

"I always said I wanted us three to go together. Didn't think it'd be this soon but hey. Also, you and I will be having words later." Lottie told Stiles as she followed his careful footsteps towards Scott. He nodded slightly before giving his full attention to his best friend.

Stiles reached out for the flare, gently grasping it and pulling it from Scott's hand. The teens all let out a collective breath of relief as Lottie wrapped Scott up in a hug and Stiles threw the sparking flare aside. Joining Lottie he hugged Scott, only pulling away when Lydia screamed in fear.

"NO!" Darting forward Lydia lunged for Scott as Lottie knocked Stiles to the floor as the flare somehow rolled back into the gasolene and a fireball erupted behind them. Lottie panted as she once again lay on top of Stiles.

"We have to stop doing this. At least in life-threatening situations. Otherwise I think I'd quite like to be on top." She joked, looking down at him. "Oh, pull that shit again, I'll be bringing you back to life just to kill you myself? Got it?"

"Loud and clear, love." Stiles breathed out as he rested his head on the pavement, the adrenaline wearing off. Lottie looked up briefly into the flames when she spotted the figure standing amongst the flames staring directly at Lydia, before it focused its gaze on Lottie. It let out a hate filled shriek, baring its rotten teeth before it vanished into the flames. Lydia looked over at Lottie who only nodded back at her- confirming she saw it too. Lottie rolled off of Stiles and landed with a thud on the pavement, looking up at the sky as it flickered with burning embers, wondering how her life had become this mess.

✧༺♥༻✧

The doors to the yellow school bus creaked open loudly as Coach and the rest of the team made their way onto the bus, stopping at the sight before them. Laying across the red seats were Lottie, Stiles, Scott, Lydia, Allison, Isaac and Boyd, who were all beginning to wake up in the seats, after having spent the rest of the night on the bus. Lottie and Stiles were tangled up with one another, arms linked as well as their legs, not wanting to be an inch apart after the ordeal that was the night before.

"I don't want to know. I really don't. But, in case you missed the announcement, the Meet's cancelled. We're headed home. Pack it in." Coach told them exasperated, turning to the front of the bus and taking his seat as Ethan made his way to Scott and his pack.

"​​I don't know what happened last night, but I know you probably saved my life." Ethan told Scott as Stiles scoffed, offended.

"Actually, I saved your life. But it doesn't matter really. Minor detail." Stiles interjected as Lottie nodded in agreement, proud of her man.

"So, I'm going to give you something... We're pretty sure Derek's still alive." Ethan announced as Lottie froze and Stiles and Scott shared a look of surprise. "But he killed one of ours. That means one of two things can happen. Either he joins our pack–"

"And kills his own." Scott finished.

"Or Kali goes after him. And we kill him. That's the way it works." Ethan finished, not liking the look that had taken over Lottie's face.

"Your little code of ethics is kind of barbaric FYI." Stiles added sarcastically, before grabbing Lottie's hand and intertwining his hand with hers, knowing she was about to threaten Ethan as a smile made its way onto his face.

"Ethan sweetie, firstly if by some miracle Toto is alive, I'm gonna kill him because he sent me to voicemail last night. Secondly, if Kali so much as looks at him, I'm going to rip out her intestines,  tie them into a leash and then use my new leash to walk you and your brother like the dogs that you are. Do you understand me?" Lottie asked, smiling sarcastically.

"Absolutely. I'll uh, pass that message on." He stammered, making his way back to his seat. Lotte turned to look at her friends, smirking at their gobsmacked faces.

"I don't even know why you're all surprised at this point. I can't help myself. My imagination is vast and my threats are a promise. If I catch wind of her looking at any of you, she's dead." Lottie shrugged, sitting down and resting her head on Stiles' shoulder as he chuckled at her threats, stroking his thumb across the back of her hand.

"Oh how I love you." He laughed.

"Right back at ya, Batman. Love you always."

"Coach, can I see your whistle for a second?" Lydia asked as Coach passed her, noticing something sticking out of it.

"I want that back." He replied as Lydia took the whistle, covering the air vent and blowing on it. As the rest of the group watched on she pulled her hand away, revealing purple dust.

"Wolfsbane."

"Every time Coach blew the whistle in the bus- Scott, Isaac, Boyd–" Stiles began.

"And Ethan." Lydia added.

"You were all poisoned by it." Allison pointed out.

"That's how the Darach got into their heads. That's how he did it." Stiles explained. "But that doesn't explain Lotts' headaches." She'd explained how she saw a demon-like figure and obviously her headaches the night before.

"Maybe they're unrelated?" Scott offered before Stiles stood, grabbing the whistle out of Lydia's hand and throwing it out of the window. Coach sent him a glare as he watched Stiles throw the whistle.

"I'll buy you a new one."

"I'll make sure he buys you a real fancy one. Scout's honour." Lottie grinned up at the man as he rolled his eyes.

"You two will be the death of me."