IT WAS AUGUST 19TH 2010, A NICE hot summer day, Finn had just gotten home from his summer camp.

The ten year old boy was beaming racing through his front door and to his father, Simon. He desperately wanted to show him his medal for winning a reading contest.

He found his dad in the kitchen, making sandwiches for the two of them. "Dad! Look what I got!" The boy exclaimed. The man turned, smiling at the sound of his son's voice.

"Hey buddy, what'd you get?" Finn proudly held up his medal grinning goofily, the shining circle had big bold letters reading: 'WONDROUS READER!'

And Finn began telling him everything about his day, constantly rambling about how much fun he had and that he made some new friends.

His dad slid the plate holding his sandwich and Finn ate his food happily. As the two ate their lunch, their side door opened, and appeared sixteen year old Eddie.

"Hey Ed, there's a sandwich for you in the fridge." Eddie made his way to the fridge and grabbed his food. Then sitting at the table next to his little brother.

Finn finished his sandwich and raised his medal, to show Eddie. Eddie looked at it with a puzzled expression, "Where'd you get that bud?" He asked.

Finn with a toothy grin said, "I won the reading contest! Mrs. Britton gave me a medal!"

Eddie gasped, "That's awesome! Good job. Maybe we can celebrate with some ice cream tonight? What do you think, Dad?"

Simon caught the smirk Eddie let slip onto his face, and the hopeful glint in Finn's eyes.

"Alright, we can get some ice cream after I get home from work. I gotta head back now. Don't burn the house down, and lock the door."

Simon said gathering his things, he ruffled Eddie's hair, and kissed the top of Finn's forehead. He headed towards the door.

He looked back at his kids, doing the 'I love you' hand gesture in sign language. Finn did the same, and then Simon was out while Eddie locked the door.

Neither of the boys knew that this would be the day their lives would be forever ruined.
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Scott and Stiles finished counting Garrett's money while listening to the mysterious cassette tape. The boys have never had enough money for a wire transfer, they didn't understand a single thing on the tape.

"Why would someone use all this money just to kill us?" Scott questioned, none of it made any damn sense.

"Someone wants you dead, dude. Badly." Stiles said, as Scott started putting the money back in Garrett's bag.

He wanted to go to bed early because they have the PSAT tomorrow. Stiles on the other hand wanted to address the important question.

Should they give Derek and Peter back the five hundred thousand from Garrett? Stiles doesn't think so, since he doesn't like Peter.

Scott told him yes because it was the right thing to do. That money didn't belong to them. Before they could consider that, Scott heard footsteps.

He and Stiles shoved the bag of money under Scott's bed and stand up awkwardly, but it wasn't Melissa who opened the door. It was Malia, soaked from the pouring rain outside.

She told Scott and Stiles that she and Derek found Satomi's pack and they were all poisoned.
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The next day at school, Scott, Stiles, Kira, and Malia wait in line to take the PSAT.

Lydia was absent; apparently having already taken the test in freshman year. Hearing that, Malia is annoyed that she could've taken this test at another time.

Scott reminded her that she studied harder than anyone. "Doesn't mean that I'm going to do good." Malia stated, being a negative Nancy.

Stiles paused for a second, wondering if he should say it. "Well."

"Well what?" Malia asked.

Of course Stiles being Stiles, he corrected her. "It's 'do well', not 'good'."

Malia tugged at her face, anxiety rolling off her, "Oh, God."

"You're doing this because while we're trying not to die, we still need to live. If I survive high school, I'd like to go to college. A good college." Scott said.

Kira shrugged, "It's only three hours. We can survive three hours."

The students filed in and use an ink pad to mark their fingerprints down on a piece of paper. people's mobiles and puts them in little envelopes.

All of them grabbing some pencils and sitting down, listening as the teacher told them about the different sections of their exam.

He mentions that there are supposed to be two teachers monitoring this exam and Ms. Martin said that Coach is supposed to be here.

She stepped out of the classroom and went to Coach's office down the hall. Coach was passed out, head on his desk.

Ms. Martin tried to shake him awake but Mr. Finstock was unresponsive. "Oh, Bobby. 15 years sober and you fall off the wagon at school. Coach, look at me. It's Natalie."

He mumbled something and Natalie said to forget it; she'd bring him coffee during one of the breaks. Ms. Martin left Coach in his office and returned to the test room.

She made up an excuse telling the substitute that she couldn't find Coach and offered to grab Mr. Yukimura, who was upstairs grading papers.

The man replied the test had to start and they'll grab Mr. Yukimura during the first break. He clicked his stopwatch and the test begins.

Everyone frantically opened their papers and started reading the questions. Stiles was using two pencils ambidextrously, keeping a third in his mouth. He paused and rereads a question, looking shocked not to know the answer.

Malia who was sitting next to him was completely flustered. She shrugged off her jacket and looked around to see everyone else whizzing through their papers.

The room was silent when suddenly, a girl fell out of her seat. Ms. Martin rushed over to help her up. The girl, named Sydney, stated she was okay; she just got kind of dizzy.

Natalie noticed an ugly rash on Sydney's arm, wanting to know how long she's had it. While the substitute asked if he should stop the test.

But she told everyone that it's fine and to stay in their seats; she'll be back in a minute. She grabbed her phone and told the substitute that no one is to leave the room.

Scott looked over at Sydney, who was nursing her rash. The woman returned to Coach's office and, using a tissue, checked his wrists and neck for the same rash.

There's nothing. She lifted up the back of Coach's shirt and saw the same rash had spread over his back. She stepped out of his office and started to dial a number.

When a bunch of kids walk into the school, looking ready for a game of basketball. She yelled for them to get back and they left quickly. She ran and locked the door behind them.

The PSAT students come out of the classroom to see what the commotion was all about and Natalie told them to get back to their seats.

Scott used his super hearing to listen as Natalie was on the phone with the operator for the number of the Centre for Disease Control.

The test officially stopped because Scott and Stiles watch them enter from the hallway. Mr. Yukimura had also been called in to help handle the kids.

The CDC teams set up two rows of beds in plastic tents in a large open area. With the outside of the school also covered in plastic. Sheriff arrived at the school and asks a female CDC worker what's happening.

A CDC Worker is hoping that it's a false alarm but based on the details from Ms. Martin, were concerning enough to require quarantine.

She wanted Noah's help ensuring that no one got in or out of the school. Noah stated that his son was in the building. It won't be a conflict of interest but it will be stressful.

He asked what would happen now. Inside the school, in one of the plastic tents, Scott seems to have asked the same question.

Ms. Martin says that they have to isolate the sick and wait for instructions. She laid a blanket across Sydney's legs.

"If I'm wrong, they'll be out of here pretty quickly and then I'm the crazy Biology teacher who panicked for nothing." She left. Sydney being close to tears. She wasn't worried about being sick.

The PSAT is the qualifying test for the National Merit Scholarship and, without it, Sydney's parents couldn't afford to send her to college.

Scott patted Sydney's leg and told her that he's sure they'd let her take the test again.
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Back in the PSAT classroom, Stiles told Kira and Malia that he heard someone from the CDC say that this might be smallpox.

Their teacher overheard and said it was unlikely since smallpox was eradicated worldwide in 1979. They should be comforted by that unless the disease is something worse.

Stiles began scratching his arm, but no one noticed, he started leafing through the envelopes, looking for the one containing his phone. "Don't bother. They would've shut off any access to all outside communication by now."

"No cell service, no Wi-Fi, no starting a panic. Looks like we're all just going to have to wait and see what happens." Their teacher said.

Natalie knocked on the locker room door, looking for Scott. He had been in there a long time and wasn't answering. Scott was hunched over a sink, struggling to control his shift.

Mr. Yukimura walked into the room and found Scott leaning against the locker. Scott pleaded for him to get Stiles.

Out in the hallway, students were lining up to have their blood drawn. Malia asked Kira if she ever got the feeling that Scott and Stiles were hiding something.

Kira played dumb, saying that if they hid something then the boys probably had a pretty good reason. "Do you know what they're hiding in the bag under Scott's bed?" Malia asked her.

"What? No. I've never been under Scott's bed. Or in it. Just on it. Wearing clothes." Noting she needed to get better at lying.

Kira was saved from any further conversation when her name was called. The worker swabbed Kira's arm and went to insert the needle.

When the needle touched Kira's skin, lightning shot up from Kira's skin, burning a hole in her hazmat suit.

She was ushered out of the school, Malia tugged Kira out of line. Outside, Noah rushed up as the CDC worker took off her hazmat suit.

She brushed off the incident, saying it must have been static electricity. Only the top layer of her suit was affected; the interior layer is fine.

Rafe had arrived and he wanted a verdict on what they're dealing with inside the school. The CDC worker walked away, having no time for worried dads. The agent also heard the smallpox rumor.

"You want my opinion? I don't think the Orphans were the only professional killers in Beacon Hills." The other man stated.
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In the locker room, Mr. Yukimura had a conference with Scott, Stiles, Kira, and Malia. Scott's eyes kept lighting up red. Malia can't retract her claws.

Since it seemed the virus was affecting them in a way that it won't hit any human being, Scott and Malia needed to stay out of sight.

They couldn't stay in the locker room in case they get violent like on a full moon. A classroom won't hold them and the basement had too many possible exits.

Stiles suggested the Hale vault. Scott said there has to be another way in; the Hales always have an escape route.

Since communications were shut down, they can't just ring Derek and ask him where the secret entrance is. Instead, someone gets a copy of the school blueprints.

Based on where the school sign is, the second entrance would probably be somewhere in a basement hallway. Stiles collapsed and quickly adjusted himself.

Mr. Yukimura looked at his wrist to see a rash spreading. Every one of the kids is sick except for Kira, who has her kitsune super-health.

She wasn't showing physical symptoms but Mr. Yukimura thinks the virus is affecting Kira neurologically. He grabbed Kira's PSAT answer sheet in a pile to have a quick look.

Kira hadn't managed to fill in any of the bubbles; instead, there are a bunch of black pencil marks to the side of the answers.

Scott, Stiles, Kira, and Malia head to the basement, looking for the secret entrance to the Hale vault. Stiles found it almost immediately behind a set of metal shelves.

When they pushed the shelves away, there was a triskele carved into the wall. There's a little metal grate like the one in the school sign. Stiles said it should open with anyone's claws.

Scott looked at him. That's not quite right. As far as they know, it only opens with Hale claws. Luckily, they have a Hale with them.

Instead, they ask Malia to try opening the vault because Scott didn't have control over his shift and his claws aren't out.

"Okay. I'll do it. But first tell me what you've been hiding from me. I know you think you're trying to protect me but I can handle it." She said.

Scott and Stiles glanced from each other to her, ready to tell Malia the truth but she cut across them, saying she knew she was on the dead pool list.

The other three breathed a sigh of relief, happy they can keep lying to Malia about something she's inevitably going to find out. "How much am I worth?"

"Four million." Scott answered.

Stiles' eyes went to Malia's, "Are you okay?"

"Yeah. Scott's worth twenty five. Kira's six. They'll take you guys out way before me." She stepped forward, shoving her claws in the metal grate.

Swiveling it around until the wall slid to the side, revealing the vault. The four of them step inside and the wall slides closed behind them.

"We need to tell her the truth about Peter. She's going to see the rest of the dead pool eventually." Scott whispered, looking back towards Malia.

Stiles sighed, "Try to remember that Peter's the one name missing on that list, which either makes him incredibly lucky or the Benefactor.

If she finds out about him, she's going to go to him; you know she is. And then he's going to twist his way into her head like he does with everyone, including us."

"We let him walk around like nothing ever happened, like he's one of the good guys. Scott, he's not one of the good guys."

"If she finds out about it, she's gone. That's probably what he's waiting for. And then he wins, we lose."

Scott wished he could be optimistic, but he understood where Stiles was coming from. "We're already losing." He shows Stiles his hand. Black grossness is seeping from his fingernails.

Stiles shook Malia awake so he could say goodbye. She looked horrible. Having the same black grossness coming out of her fingernails and the corners of her mouth.

Stiles told her that if this is worse for the supernaturals, then this is another assassin. Malia held out her arm, which he guessed meant she was cold since Stiles gives her his jacket.

"You're coming back, right?"

Stiles brushed her hair back, "Yeah. Yeah, I'd never leave you behind." Stiles kissed Malia on the forehead, she gave him a teary smile. As Stiles left, Malia curled up on the ground again, crying.
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Finn sighed as he walked out of class, making his way toward the doors for the library. As always during his free period, he had his headphones in.

Quietly walking in the hallway, that was until he was tapped on the shoulder, he turned to see a teacher, stopping in his tracks and took an earbud out.

He was befuddled, maybe he hadn't been in enough classes, because he didn't recognize the man at all.

He felt slightly uneasy, but couldn't target the reason why. "You can't leave the premises, son." The man said.

"Alright, I'll head back to class." Finn slowly walked past him, feeling his eyes burn into the back of his skull.

But he continued on, not wanting to look back, as he walked down the hall he couldn't shake that vibe. Finn put his earbud back in and turned around the corner to the main corridor.

Looking out the window to see five different police cars and people in hazmat suits. "What the hell is going on?"

Finn heard footsteps coming towards him and saw Stiles rushing around. He seemed frazzled.

He walked up to the older teen, "Stiles, what's going on?" Stiles didn't look so good, his skin was sickly pale, and his eyes had dark circles.

"No questions, just come with me." Finn did as he was told following Stiles, and finding Natalie in the quarantine area and, brushing off her comments that he looked ill.

Finn silently agreed with her and asked where Mr. Yukimura was. But she assured him that Mr. Yukimura was fine and helping the other students.

Finn looked around, so many students were frail, suffering from whatever this virus was. He hoped they could find a way to help them.

Stiles began to turn and leave with Finn, he noticed Coach lying in one of the quarantine tents. He wondered why Coach was the only adult who was affected by the virus.

Stiles and Finn leave the makeshift quarantine quarters, to search Coach's office for a reason as to why he was infected.

So far they were coming up with nothing, until he and Stiles saw a pile of permission slips that had been stamped with red ink.

Stiles saw the red ink fade until Coach switched to blank ink. He looked down and saw that there are black ink fingerprints on Coach's coffee mug.

Finn glanced at Stiles, "He switched the ink? Did he run out or something?" The two looked at each other perplexed.

Finn was going to pick up another piece of paper when a voice spoke. "I was wondering how that idiot got sick."

"I'm also wondering where your friends are since, in order to get paid by the Benefactor, I need to have proof that they're dead."

The teens turned, the teacher that caught Finn earlier, he already felt he was sketchy, this further confirmed it when he saw him holding a gun. Instant terror striking his face.

Stiles swallowed harshly, "Visual confirmation."

"Exactly." He pointed a gun at Stiles and Finn, then waved it forcing them out of the room. They walked and he shoved the two into the locker room.

He assured Stiles that the virus didn't kill humans, he and Finn would get to live if he told him where Scott, Kira, and Malia are.

Stiles said he might have seen them in the library or the cafeteria. A bold face lie, which Finn would have laughed at if the dude didn't have a gun pointed in his direction.

"I'm going to count to three then I'm going to kill your friend, and then you." Hearing that Stiles stepped in front of Finn, holding his arm out protectively.

Stiles scoffed, "Think you can scare me?"

The man chuckled darkly, "No, I think I can kill you. I just thought the countdown would make it more exciting." He pressed the barrel of the gun to Stiles's head and started to count.

While Stiles squeezed his eyes shut. Finn turned his head away, not wanting to see any of it. A loud sound echoed through the room. The gun went off.

The teen felt blood splatter across his face. But it wasn't Stiles's blood; it was the man's. Stiles and Finn opened their eyes, Stiles sputtered, gasping for air, in shock.

He'd been shot through the head by a CDC worker. Except it was Agent McCall in a hazmat suit. He stepped into the room, quickly making sure both boys were okay and getting straight to the point.

He got a call from Melissa. He didn't know what it meant but there's an antidote reishi mushrooms, in a jar on one of the shelves in the vault.

They rushed out of the locker room and Finn followed Stiles to the basement. As soon as they got to the vault door Stiles hammered on the wall.

Unable to get in unless someone opened it from the inside. Stiles called out the information about the mushrooms, banging on the door and screaming. He slid to the floor, defeated.

Finn took over, praying his friends weren't dead. "Scott! The antidote's on the shelf! Some sort of mushrooms! You need to find it!"

Inside, Kira heard Stiles's and Finn's desperate shouts. Remembering she'd seen them before.

Scott struggled to his feet and his Alpha eyes glowed red, and used them to find the jar of mushrooms.

He reached up and eventually knocked the jar off the shelf, smashing it. The door to the vault opened, Stiles and Finn jumped up.

Almost crying in relief when they saw Scott stumble out, his face clear of the black grossness. Scott helped Kira to her feet. She hugged Finn, with him leading them out of the room.

But Malia sat in her corner. Stiles crouched down in front of her and put his hand on her shoulder. Malia grabbed Stiles's arm and pushed him away, she got up and walked out of the vault.

Stiles looked back and saw the dead pool printout lying on the ground. He didn't need to read it again, she found out, and he knew.

All of them headed to the front of the school, other students rushing to reunite with their parents, Noah running to Stiles and hugging him close then moving to Scott.

Finn awkwardly stuck behind with them not knowing if his brother was coming or even knew what was going down.

"Finn!" The young teen glanced at where he was being called from. He met his brother's eyes and ran to him, leading to a bone crushing hug.

"You alright, you didn't get sick did you?" Eddie inquired, tilting Finn's face side to side.

"No, I'm good. Just really tired." Finn answered, Eddie hugged his brother again and took him to the car and to their house.

As soon as they got there, Finn trudged up to his room and collapsed on his bed, falling asleep instantly. The last twenty four hours were insane.
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The End of Chapter 7