The start of the seasons always feels so slow and difficult to write. Sorry if it feels like it's exactly from the show, just hard to drift away from the main storyline at the moment.

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School had ended and I was now sitting in my room waiting to be picked up. We had spoken after the Sheriff had left about what he had come to the school for. Scott had listened in, but I hadn't. I couldn't focus at that moment, the thought of Stiles being in trouble had clouded my ability to think straight.

I needed to find a way to focus, or I might as well not have my abilities.

Stiles had told us that Heather, the girl whose birthday it was and who had tried to do Stiles in a wine cellar, had gone missing. The reason why Sheriff Stilinski had wanted to talk to Stiles was because he had supposedly been the last one to see her alive.

Meaning, either no one really saw me go into the cellar, or I was yet to receive questioning. Right now it didn't matter. What mattered was finding out what the hell was going on this time. Scott had decided that the only clue we had to solve the mystery was locked in Isaac's brain and we needed to find a way to shake it loose.

While we knew a werewolf was unable to help from what we had heard about their attempts to retrieve his memories, we turned to the only other person we knew who we though may even stand a chance. Doctor Deaton, apparently just a veterinarian, but I'd like to vote otherwise.

I wasn't completely sold on trusting him considering he was yet to explain how he knew about werewolves, kanimas and the rest of it, but he was all we had. So that's why when Stiles picked me up in his Jeep, we headed straight to the veterinary clinic.

I could tell he was thinking hard as I got into the Jeep, the boy sitting there looking at me closely.

"Stiles, just say what you want to say so that we can go, please," I stated tiredly as I buckled myself in.

He pursed his lips as he nodded, starting up the engine. "I don't expect you to apologise," he told me.

"Well, that's good. Because I wont be."

Stiles glanced over at me for a moment, before turning back to the road. "How I treated you was unfair, and I'm sorry. I should've taken everything that happened into consideration. I should've understood."

"It's okay, Stiles," I half smiled. "I know you were only looking out for me."
And I did. That was all I felt like he did when it came to me. He was always worrying himself sick about me, thinking that I was unable to look after myself.

But, like I said, things were different now. I could take care of myself and I knew it. I didn't have to rely on Stiles or Scott or any of the werewolves. I had my abilities and for now, that was enough. It had to be.

"So, then where does that leave us?" Stiles asked me. I couldn't decided whether he sounded more worried or hopeful.

Either way I knew there was no chance of getting back to where I wanted to be with him by starting on a lie.
"I don't know, Stiles."
And it was true. There was how he acted when I returned, selfish and impulsive, but then there was the boy who turned someone down for me.

I had to find the version of Stiles that wouldn't leave me a tattered mess of emotions. I needed the Stiles who strengthened me and gave me the courage to take on any bad thing that came our way.

He removed a hand from the steering wheel and placed it on one of mine. "I'll wait as long as it takes. I'd wait for you forever."

My heart melted a bit at the sentiment as my cheeks burned. I was thankful for the shade of night keeping their scarlet glow hidden.

When we arrived at the veterinary clinic the Doctor instructed us to begin filling one of the dog baths with ice. Derek, Scott, Stiles and I did as we were told while Doctor Deaton spoke to Isaac on the side.

From what I had heard, we were about to dunk him in this ice and hold him under there.  The boy looked scared of what was to come, and I didn't blame him, the water was goddamn freezing.

When we had finally filled up the bath, the Doctor walked back over with Isaac. "You'll be half transformed. It'll let us access your subconscious mind."

"How slow does his heart rate need to be?" Scott asked, a look of concern on his face. I didn't need to find a mirror to know that I was wearing the same expression.

"Very slow."

"Okay," Derek leaned over the bath, "Well, how slow is very slow?"

I placed a hand on the back of my neck, "If you're saying his heart rate needs to be close to flat-lining, can you please just get it over with? We don't really have time to mess about," I said as kindly as I could put it, tired of everyone dancing around the point.

They all stared at me before turning to Deaton for confirmation. He just nodded solemnly. Isaac touched the water, immediately retracting his hand as soon as it hit the surface.
"It's safe, though, right?"

Deaton looked down at him, "Do you want me to answer honestly?"

"No. No, not really."

A thwacking sound broke the tension that had built in the room. Searching for the source of the noise, I located Stiles standing beside a bench holding up his arm, which was enclosed with an elbow-length rubber glove.

"Not the time, Stiles," I said between gritted teeth. I didn't want to pull much attention to myself, but I knew he heard me. He grumbled and pulled it off before throwing it onto the table where he found it.

Derek gave Isaac a chance to back out, but he only responded by removing his shirt. I felt my breath hitch in my throat at the sight of him.

His body was almost the same as when we had been together, except now, he was more toned. Letting the breath I was holding out, I averted my eyes so he wouldn't catch me staring.

My eyes shifted to Stiles, whose jaw was clenched as his eyes flickered between Isaac and me. He had seen me staring.

Again, not apologising. He looked good, was I not allowed to acknowledge that?

I felt my phone ring in my pocket. Pulling it out I saw Charlotte's name written across the screen. She would have to wait.

The Beta took a deep breath before climbing into the tub and allowing Scott and Derek to push his body down. He tried desperately to resurface, but the wolves kept him down.

When he stopped struggling, they let him go and he floated gently to the surface, taking a breath as he did so.

"Now, remember only I talk to him. Too many voices will confuse him and draw him out," Deaton reminded us.
"Isaac? Can you hear me?"

"Yes, I can hear you," the boy responded, his eyes remaining closed.

"This is Doctor Deaton. I'd like to ask you a few questions. Is that all right?" When Isaac agreed, the Doctor began.
"I want to ask you about the night you found Erica and Boyd. I want you to remember it for me in as vivid detail as possible, like you're actually there again."

"I don't wanna do that," Isaac almost whimpered, his body beginning to shake in the water. "I don't wanna do that. I don't wanna do that."

He repeated himself over and over again, the wolves grabbing his shoulders and Stiles gripping each of his legs to keep him submerged. I took hold of the hand which he had gripped on the edge of the bath in hopes of calming his nerves. It seemed to work somewhat, as his body ceased its shaky movements.

"Isaac, it's all right," Doctor Deaton continued. "Just relax. They're just memories. You can't be hurt by a memory." Isaac said it once more, but Deaton was persistent.
"It's all right. Relax. Relax. Good. Now let's go back to that night. To the place you found Erica and Boyd. "Can you tell me what you see? Is there some kind of building? A house?"

"It's not a house," Isaac shivered. "It's stone. I think marble."

"That's perfect. Can you give me any other descriptors?"

The boy took a deep breath or two and even though he was dreaming, I could've sworn I felt a small squeeze of my hand.
"It's dusty," he mumbled, "so empty."

"Like an abandoned building? Isaac?"

"Someone's here," he mumbled, beginning to grow restless once more. The electricity fluctuated with the storm, the lights turning on and off here and there. He gripped onto Scott's arm, "Someone's here."

"Isaac, relax."

"No, no, no, no. They see me, they see me!" He began to scream, his body thrashing in the water.

"Just memories," Doctor Deaton tried to reassure him. "You won't be hurt by your memories. Just relax. Relax. Good. Now tell us what you see. Tell us everything."

Isaac did as he was told, recalling the night he didn't want to remember. "I hear him. He's talking about the full moon, about being out of control when the moon rises."

"Is he talking to Erica?"

"I think so, I can't. . ." He shivered. "I can't see her I can't see either of them."

"Can you hear anything else?"

Isaac stared up at the roof, his purple lips quivering as he spoke. "They're worried, worried what they'll do during the moon. They're worried that they're gonna hurt each other."

Derek didn't look happy with this revelation. "If they're locked in together on the full moon, they're gonna tear each other apart," he stated in a low voice.

Deaton nodded, taking into account how the issue just became extremely time sensitive. "Isaac, we need to find them right now. Can you see them?"

"No," the beta answered.

"Do you know what kind of room it is? Is there any kind of marker? A number on a door? A sign?"

Isaac gasped as he sat upright in the bath. "They're here," he whispered.
What was this? Poltergeist?
He sunk back down, "They're here. They're here."

"It's all right," Deaton told him.

"No. They're here."

"Just tell us. . ."

It was too late though, Isaac was panicking. "They see me. They found me. They're here!"

"This isn't working," Derek growled before turning and speaking to Isaac, the one thing we weren't supposed to do. "Isaac, where are you?"

"I can't see them. It's too dark!"

"Tell me where you are," the Alpha persisted.

"I can't see!"

Doctor Deaton started to getting worried and attempted to intercept, but Derek just ignored him.
"Isaac, where are you? Just tell me where you are."

"His heart rate," Deaton said angrily, "He could go into shock."
We were asked to help keep him down and be quiet, and Derek couldn't even manage that.

"Derek, stop!" I shouted. "You're going to kill him!"

"Isaac, where are you?" Derek yelled in the boys face, ignoring Deaton and I. "What did you see?"

"A vault!" Isaac almost screamed. "It's a bank vault! They're taking me to a room, I can't stop them. And there's a body here. It's Erica."
We all stared in shock as he woke up from the trance and sat up quickly.
"I saw it! I saw the name."

The other werewolves helped him climb out of the tub and Deaton wrapped him in a blanket to normalise his temperature.

"It's, uh, Beacon Hills First National Bank. It's an abandoned bank, and they're keeping them locked inside the vault."
No one knew how to reply after his Erica revelation.
"What?"

"You don't remember what you said right before you came out of it, do you?" Stiles asked sadly, Isaac shaking his head in response. "You said when they captured you that they dragged you into a room and that there was a body in it."

"What body?" Isaac had no idea what he was talking about. I walked over and wrapped an arm around him, preparing for his reaction to what Stiles was about to tell him.

"Erica. You said it was Erica."

Isaac didn't say anything but his face turned the colour of paper. He crumpled in on himself, sliding further back on the table allowing him to use it as support.

I climbed up on the table beside him, resting my head on his shoulder as he sat quietly. Erica was one of his best friends and she was gone. We had all suffered so much loss and I honestly had no idea how much more we could take.

"She's not dead," Derek told us, refusing to believe what he was being told.

"Derek, he said, 'there's a dead body. It's Erica'," Stiles reiterated. "Doesn't exactly leave us much room for interpretation."

"Then who was in the vault with Boyd?"

"Not Erica!" I snapped. "Be told."

"Maybe it was the girl on the motorcycle," Scott suggested as he tried to defuse the situation. "The one who saved you?"

"No, she wasn't like us," the boy beside me answered. "And whoever was in the vault with Boyd was."

Stiles crossed his arms against his chest, "What if that's how Erica died? They pit them against each other during the full moons and see which one survives."

"Werewolf thunderdome?" My brows creased at the thought. Would the Alphas really do that?

"Werewolf thunderdome," Stiles nodded.

Derek stepped closer to everyone, "Then we get them out tonight."

"Be smart about this, Derek."
Doctor Deaton had been quiet since Isaac had woken up and I didn't know why. He just wore that concerned look he always seems to sport.
"You can't just go storming in."

"If Isaac got in, then so can we."

"Yes," I intercepted. "But if someone broke in once, don't you think they'll be a bit more careful this time around? Especially since Isaac got away?"

"And Isaac didn't get through a vault door, did he?" The Doctor pointed out.

"We need a plan," Scott stated the obvious.

The Alpha was growing impatient with us all trying to keep our remaining pack alive. "How are we gonna come up with a plan to break into a bank vault in less than twenty four hours?"

Whilst we had all been arguing, Stiles had been on his phone researching. And thankfully, he had some insight to offer.
"Uh, I think someone already did. 'Beacon Hills First National closes its doors three months after vault robbery.' Doesn't say here how it was robbed, but it probably won't take long to find out."

"How long?"

"It's the Internet, Derek," Stiles scoffed, looking to each teenager in the room. "Okay? Minutes."

As the boys got ready to leave, I was still with Isaac. "They're going to need my help. Will you be okay?"

"I think so," he nodded. His body temperature had levelled and his skin was no longer pale, so there was that. Mentally, however, I wasn't sure.

I wrapped my arms around him, "Just call me if you need me. I'll be there."

And then Stiles and Scott called me over and we were leaving. For Stiles' sake, I hoped we found what we need quick.

♡♢♤♧

I gasped loudly as I woke up, coughing for air. Another nightmare.

Sitting up from Stiles' bed I moved my back to crack the stiffness in my spine. We had been researching on how to break into the vault all night and must've fallen asleep.

Stiles was laying face first in a pile of paper while Scott had opted for the chair at Stiles' desk which housed his printer which was still spitting out pages. I couldn't even remember if we had found what we were looking for in the end.

The door swung open to reveal the Sheriff, who looked like he was about to head for work. "Morning, Riley."

"Good morning, mister Stilinski," I smiled awkwardly, remembering that Scott and I hadn't mentioned that we would be staying the night.

"Boys," Sheriff Stilinski said. He kept repeating himself until he finally shouted, waking up the two teenagers. They both jumped to action, obviously not realising they had fallen asleep in the first place.
"I got to get to work. You three get to school."

"Dad!" Stiles shouted as his father was leaving. "Heather?"

"No, nothing yet," his face looked tired. Sad. It hurt him to not be able to help everyone. He left the room and headed out to go to work.

"Ten hours and nothing," Stiles groaned.
So that obviously meant we hadn't found out how to break into the vault.

Scott sat up straighter in his chair, "We're gonna find something."

"Finding something doesn't make Erica any less dead," Stiles bit as he began to clean up the paper. "Or Boyd any less about-to-be dead."

I climbed off of the bed and began to help him. "And being all doom and gloom isn't going to help us concentrate."

Scott nodded in agreement, "We still have time."

Stiles stopped to look at our friend, "Is this whole 'remain optimistic in the face of complete and utter disaster' thing a part of the 'be a better Scott McCall' program?"

"Not if it doesn't work."

Stiles sighed in defeat, "No, it works."

As I picked up more pieces of paper, a smile broke out on my face. In one of the pictures, I saw someone I recognised arresting the man who had committed the crime. "Stiles, isn't this your dad?"

He grabbed the paper and looked at it, before grabbing my face and kissing me on the cheek and handing the paper to Scott. "What would we do without you?" He asked. He then ran straight out of his room, calling his dad.

♡♢♤♧

School had dragged on painfully slow as I sat waiting for the bell to ring. Scott had said that we all go home and then meet at Derek's loft at five. Then our plan to break into the bank would commence.

Stiles had driven me home since I had inadvertently stayed the night at his place. The ride wasn't weird like I had expected it to be. We were almost back to our normal selves I felt.

As soon as I stepped in the house I was ambushed by my sister, whose face was red with anger. "What the hell, Riley? Where have you been?"

I was taken back by surprise as I shut the door behind me. "Sorry. Scott and Stiles needed my help with something. We didn't realise how late it had gotten and we fell asleep."

"I don't care. You had me worried sick."
I seemed to be doing this to a lot of people lately.
"We've been back barely a week. This isn't how this is going to work, you going and doing whatever you want and not bothering to tell me."

"Okay," I replied calmly. "Okay, I hear you. In that case, I'll let you know now that I'm leaving at around five. We have more of that project to work on tonight."

"No."

My eyes widened, "What do you mean 'no'?"

Her hands went to her hips as she walked up to me. "You stayed past the curfew I've given you, and didn't even bother to call me. So, no, it can wait until tomorrow."

I was considering arguing more, but I knew my sister. She wouldn't yield, and neither would I. "Fine," I mumbled as I walked down the hall to my room.

I stayed there until four-thirty, silently reading a book. I didn't want to have the television on because then she would've noticed when the noise stopped.

Putting the book away, I grabbed my backpack and crept over to my window and shimmied it open, before climbing out and heading over to my car.