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❨ ∘ 𝔞𝔠𝔱 3 ∘ ❩
. . .‧₊˚ ✩ 𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘱𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘴𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘯: 𝘯𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵𝘮𝘢𝘳𝘦𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘩𝘰𝘴𝘱𝘪𝘵𝘢𝘭𝘴 ✩.‧₊˚ . . .

❛riddled❜
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The screen then lights up again to show Ellie's bedroom. The said girl dressed in a t-shirt that must belong to Derek for how large it was on her and some shorts.

Her hair was in a messy bun and books, journals, and grimoires were all around her.

"Damn it!" Ellie yells annoyed as she throws a book into her wall before throwing her head back annoyed.

"Ellie I think you are losing it," Stiles says making her glare at him.

Ellie truly did not know how long she's been going through books trying to find something to save Stiles.

"Oh," Stiles says as Ellie chuckles at him.

Ellie for the first time didn't know what to do. Someone. Something dangerous was possessing her best friend.

Her soulmate and some demonic ninjas wanted to kill him. So what was she supposed to do to save him?

How could she save him?

Was he still in there to be saved?

Ellie got up from Derek's lap and headed towards Stiles. Stiles smiles at her sadly before wrapping his arm around her and pulling her close to him as Ellie cuddles close to him.

"If anyone can save me you can," Stiles tells Ellie in a whisper making her smile at him and nod her head.

All the what if's were making Ellie beyond stress. She had to save him.

She had to no matter the cost.

Allison looks towards Stiles and Ellie. That one sentence scared her. No matter the cost. One thing Allison loved and hated about her sister is how she always put others before herself.

One thing that she knew would be her sister's downfall. For Ellie was someone who thought things over but in the moment she never thought she just does what she thinks is right.

Suddenly Ellie's phone starts to ring making her glare at her phone and she grabs it and answers it.

"What?" Ellie asks annoyed into the phone as she rubs the bridge of her nose.

"Hey, what's wrong?" Scott questions her worriedly as Ellie runs her fingers through her hair.

"What do you need Scott? I'm really busy," Ellie tells him as Scott sighs.

"It's Stiles," Scott tells her making Ellie tense up as she gets off her floor.

Ellie holds Stiles closer to her who runs his fingers through her hair trying to calm both of their worries down.

"What's wrong? Is he okay?!" Ellie asks worriedly as she begins to pace the room.

"He called me and told me he didn't know where he was. It was dark and it smelt bad. He also said that...," Scott begins trailing off making Ellie even more worried.

"What Scott? He also said what?" Ellie asks him as she bites her lip.

"That he was hurt and....and not alone," Scott tells Ellie who freezes as she falls onto the edge of her bed.

"He playing with your head," Ellie whispers holding Stiles closer to her who just nods slightly.

"But we're looking for him. Me, Issac, the sheriff, Derek, Lydia, Aiden-," Scott begins to list but Ellie interrupts him.

"Wait, Lydia? Why Lydia?" Ellie asks him as Scott freezes not knowing what to say.

"Scott please don't tell me Lydia is having a banshee feeling. Please tell me that my best friend isn't about to die?" Ellie begs him as Scott takes a deep breath.

"Or she has a feeling someone is going to die," Anna-Marie whispers but the ones with supernatural hearing heard.

"We'll find him, Ellie. We'll find him," Scott promises her as Ellie nods.

"Yeah we will," Ellie tells him hanging up as she heads towards her closet. Opening one Ellie throws shirts out of it and onto the floor before finding one she wants.

A flannel.

"Hey! That's mine!" Stiles yells as Ellie smirks shrugging her shoulders at him.

Ellie sits down on the floor crisscrossed holding Stiles's flannel in her hands.

"Phasmatos Tribum Nas Ex Veras," Ellie whispers as thinks of Stiles the entire time.

"What spell is that?" Scott asks Ellie who leans into Ellie.

"Locator spell," Ellie tells him simply making everyone nod at that.

"This is why Ellie should know everything first," Lydia says nodding her head and making Ellie laugh at her.

Flashes appear in her head. Stiles had something attached to his leg and seemed to be in some sort of basement.

"That's not creepy at all," Stiles mutters making Ellie chuckle at him.

"You can't save him," the same voice whispers as it grabs her wrist again in a bruising grip.

"Phasmatos Tribum Nas Ex Veras," Ellie keeps chanting not stopping even as blood goes down her nose and the man wrapped in rags yells in her face.

"You will not be able to save HIM!" it screams at Ellie as she gets an image of Stiles in a den.

"Hey, that's my den?!" Malia yells angrily at Stiles who just looks at her squinting his eyes.

Ellie opens her eyes and coughs before wrapping her nose of the blood but not feeling anything there making her confused.

Shaking her head Ellie gets up grabbing her keys and phone before running out of the apartment.

Racing out Ellie tries to remember where the coyote den that Stiles told her about was at.

Arriving at the end of the woods Ellie jumps out of her car and heads towards the trunk of her car.

Opening it there seem to be multiple things in it including some bags. Grabbing the one in the back Ellie empties it showing a map and iron powder.

"What is all of that?" Liam questions confused making Ellie look towards him with a shrug.

"One has clothes. Another money passport. Gloves. Weapons. Shovel. Anything I might need and don't have enough time to grab," Ellie tells him as if everyone has these things in their trunk.

As she chants the iron powder begins to move around before stopping at one place. Ellie's eyes open seeing where it is stopped before grabbing a blanket and then running straight into the woods.

"That not going to lie is kind of cool," Isaac says shrugging as he puts a handful of sunflowers into his mouth.

Seeing the coyote den Ellie runs inside and looks around to see Stiles laying there twisting and turning as he muttered something, still asleep.

"Wait...so everything that happened was because he was asleep," Stilinski says confused and worried.

"People can do very strange things in their sleep. He called Scott and he thought he was somewhere else due to the nogitsune," Ellie explains to Stilinski who nods slightly.

"Stiles!" Ellie exclaims as she quickly heads towards him. Ellie wraps the blanket she had around him as she tries to pull him out of the den but he starts fighting against her and screaming.

"Wait! No! WAIT!" Stiles screams as Ellie cradles him to her chest as close as she could.

"Stiles! I'm here! I got you!" Ellie yells as she holds him tighter.

"Wait!" Stiles yells as Ellie pulls him close to her.

"Stiles! You're okay. I'm here. I got you," Ellie says as she tries not to cry. Stiles begins calming down making Ellie cup his checks so he can look at her.

Stilinski's body tense up seeing his son like that as Stiles tightens his hold on Ellie who runs her fingers through his hair worriedly.

"Hey, you're alright Mischief. I got you," Ellie tells him calmly as Stiles looks into her eyes.

"Ellie?" Stiles whisper making Ellie nod as she rubs his cheek reassuringly.

"Yeah, it's me, Stiles. I got you. You're safe now. I got you," Ellie tells him making Stiles tear up as he nods before hugging her tightly to him.

"I won't let him hurt you, Stiles. I won't," Ellie promises as she hugs him tightly as Stiles sobs in her arms.

"You're okay. You're okay," Ellie whispers as she leans her head against his rocking the two.

Ellie didn't know if she was reassuring herself or Stiles at that moment all she knew was that he was okay at this moment. She had him and he was safe in her arms.

Stiles just holds Ellie close to him who shushes him running her fingers through his hair.

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Ellie arrives at the hospital with Stiles in the passenger seat. Nurses and doctors run towards the two getting Stiles out of the car.

Ellie watches him go and goes to walk before her knees give out slightly making her grab the railing before slowly falling down to the ground and a sob is released from her lips.

"Oh Ells," Stiles whispers holding her close to him as she shakes her head trying not to cry. Seeing Stiles like that was hard. Really hard. It made her heart feel like it was breaking.

"Hey hey baby," Derek says heading towards Ellie as he wraps his jacket around her before wrapping her arms around her shoulders. Derek pulls Ellie into him cradling her head into his chest.

"He's okay. The doctors are saying he is fine. He's just sleeping right now," Derek tells Ellie who shakes her head sobbing once again.

"No, he isn't," Ellie tells him making Derek confused as Ellie looks at him with a broken expression. Derek stares at her wiping her tears with his thump softly.

"I've been keeping something from everyone because I was scared. Scared of what someone would do with this information," Ellie tells him in a broken voice making Derek confused and worried. He has never heard her like this. So determined but helpless at the same time.

"It's Stiles, Derek," Ellie tells him making him confused.

"What's Stiles Ellie?" Derek asks her as Ellie takes a deep breath before looking him in the eyes.

"Stiles is the Nogitsune," Ellie tells Derek who looks at her in surprise.

"You think Stiles-- skinny, defenseless, Stiles-- is the Nogitsune, a powerful dark spirit?" Derek asks Ellie who glares at him chuckling softly as she hits his chest.

"Hey! I am not defenseless!" Stiles yells at Derek who just crosses his arms staring at Stiles.

"Derek. I'm serious. I've been reading every book I could. Every different language I could to find anything. Something to save him and I haven't. I don't know if I can. I can't lose him, Derek. I can't," Ellie tells him as she sobs.

Derek pulls her into his arms holding her close as Ellie sobs shaking her head.

"I have to protect him. I have to save him," Ellie mutters repeatedly making him shush her slightly.

Stiles kisses Ellie's forehead who smiles at him sadly.

"Hey," Derek pulls back grabbing her wrist making Ellie wince. Derek looks at her confused before grabbing her wrist and inspecting them worriedly.

"Ellie! What the hell?!" Derek asks confused seeing the bruised hand marks around her wrist making her confused.

"What?" Ellie questions confused as everyone stares at her wrist worriedly.

"Did I?" Stiles asks making Ellie shake her head at him.

"No. It wasn't you Stiles," Ellie tells him as she stares at her wrist.

"I-how-that shouldn't be...," Ellie mutters making Derek cup her cheeks.

"Ellie who did this?" Derek asks her making Ellie look up at him.

"The Nogitsune, but I don't know how," Ellie tells him making Derek pull her in close to him worriedly.

"What does he want with me?" Ellie whispers to Derek who shakes his head not knowing.

"It's obvious," Peter says scoffing making everyone look at him.

"Oh come on am I the only one who thinks?" Peter asks rolling his eyes at the group.

"If you strive off of chaos pain and anger why not go the one person connected to it everyone? And he obviously does not want anyone to stop him, so you head towards the biggest threat. In this case Ellie. Weakening her. Making her feel like she is going insane," Peter says as Ellie and Stiles share a look worriedly.

"It's what I would do. He is smart," Peter says making everyone glare at him as Talia slaps him across the back of the head.

"Peter. Stop," Talia says sternly making Peter roll his eyes at her.

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The next day Stiles wakes up slightly feeling like for the first time in a long time he was able to have a peaceful sleep.

Stiles turns his head to the side to see Ellie sitting in a hospital chair with her feet on the bed and a journal in her lap writing something down.

"What are you doing here?" Stiles questions making Ellie look up at him with a soft smile but clear worry in her eyes.

"Where else would I be Mischief?" Ellie asks him making Stiles smile at her.

"Nowhere else," Ellie tells him making Stiles smile at her.

Ellie reaches towards him and interlocks their hands with a soft smile as Stiles looks down to see some bracelet on his wrist.

"What's this?" Stiles asks as Ellie looks towards it and sighs before looking back up at Stiles.

"It's to protect you. To protect you from him," Ellie says making Stiles look towards her wide-eyed.

"What is it?" Stilinski asks Ellie who looks towards the bracket closely before looking at Stilinski.

"It's a protection bracelet. Its primary purpose is to create a fortified locality with the person's psyche, to keep two consciousnesses separate. That way the Nogitsune can't enter but he has to keep the bracelet. If it comes off then the Nogitsune can enter," Ellie explains to Stilinksi making him nod his head.

"Wraps around his head. Razor-sharp teeth. Speaks in riddles," Ellie says as Stiles looks at her with tears in his eyes.

"I won't let him hurt you, Stiles. I promise you no matter the cost I will save you. Do you understand me?" Ellie asks him with tears in her own eyes. Stiles nod as Ellie gets up and hugs him tightly.

"I love you, Ellie," Stiles tells her making Ellie smile as she nods her head kissing the top of Stiles's head.

"I love you too Mischief," Ellie tells him hugging him tightly.

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"I'm not sure I know how to pronounce this... or if it's not actually a misspelling...," Dr. Vandenberg says as he looks at Stiles' folder.

Melissa and Stilinski were standing next to the doctor while Stiles sat on the bed of the MRI. Ellie sat next to him holding his hand while Scott was standing on the other side of him.

"Just call him Stiles," Stilinski tells him impatiently making Dr. Vandenberg nod before addressing Stiles.

"Okay. Stiles, just to warn you, you're going to hear a lot of noise during the MRI. It's due to pulses of electricity going through metal coils inside the machine. Uh, if you want, we can get you earplugs or headphones...," Dr. Vandenberg tells him making Stiles shake his head.

"Oh, no. No, I don't need anything," Stiles tells him making Ellie look at him.

"You sure?" Ellie asks Stiles who nods squeezing her hand.

"It will get boring and it is loud," Ellie tells Stiles who nods his head.

"Hey, we're just on the other side of that window, okay?" Stilinski tells his son making Stiles nod.

"Okay," Stiles tells him making Stilinski smile at him as Stilinski pats his arm before he walks away. Stiles was quiet for a moment since all the adults went to the other room before he spoke.

"You know what they're looking for, right?" Stiles asks as he looks at Scott and Ellie who gulps slightly as Ellie squeezes his hand.

"It's called frontotemporal dementia. Areas of your brain start to shrink. It's what my mother had. It's the only form of dementia that can hit teenagers... and there's no cure," Stiles tells them as Ellie interlocks their fingers squeezing his hand reassuringly.

Stilinski's entire body tensed at that while Stiles just gulps.

Ellie knew this wasn't what was happening to him, but this was one of Stiles's fears. The Nogitsune was using Stiles's own fear against him to get control over him.

"I will rip him apart," Ellie says glaring at the screen.

"Stiles, if you have it, we'll do something," Scott says making Stiles look down as Ellie looks at Scott.

"I'll do something," Scott tells him making Stiles look at him before nodding. The two stare at each other for a moment before throwing their arms around each other and pulling each other into a tight hug.

Stiles and Scott look at each other before smiling slightly at the other. 

Ellie wipes the tears that were flowing down her face quickly before either of the two boys saw. Stiles looks at Ellie and smiles slightly at her.

"What are you waiting for? Get in here," Stiles says making Ellie chuckle as the two boys release an arm around the other and pull Ellie into the hug.

The girl hugs them tightly as the three share a group hug. None of the three wanted to let go but knowing they had to.

Once they do Ellie kisses Stiles's forehead and rubs his cheek.

"I love you Mischief. Everything will be okay. I'll make sure of it," Ellie tells Stiles who nods as Ellie walks out of the room with Scott who wraps an arm around her shoulders the two head toward the waiting room.

The doctor then walks out to Stiles and makes sure he is in the machine before spotting the bracelet on his wrists. The one Ellie made for him.

"I'm sorry but no jewelry is allowed in the machine," Dr. Vandenberg tells Stiles who looks down at the bracelet and nods although hesitantly before he removes the bracelet.

"No!" Ellie yells wide-eyed as Stiles winces. Ellie shakes her head worriedly.

"It won't take long," Dr. Vandenberg tells Stiles as he takes the bracelet. Stiles nods as he lays down and the test begins.

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Scott and Ellie enter the hallway where the waiting room chairs were. The two sat in front of each other both only thinking of Stiles and neither knowing what to say.

A moment later, Derek approaches the two and sits next to Ellie. Ellie looks towards him as Derek wraps an arm around her shoulders kissing her forehead as he pulls her into his chest.

"Do you two always have to be touching?" Chris asks rolling his eyes.

"Yes," Eli, Blake, Emilia, and Laurie answer before their parents could nodding their heads.

"You know the stuff you were telling me about chemo-signals earlier? It reminded me of the time you were teaching me to use anger to control the shift," Scott says making Derek laugh softly as Ellie smiles at him.

"I think you ended up teaching me more about that...," Derek tells him as Ellie smiles with a confused look across her face. Something was wrong. She could feel it.

Ellie shakes her head squeezing Stiles's hand tightly making him rub her knuckles. 

"Are you teaching me again?" Scott asks him making Derek sigh.

"Think of it as sharing a few trade secrets. You know, I took Cora back to South America, right? It's where she spent most of her time after the fire. But that's not the only reason I left...I needed to talk to my mother," Derek tells him making Scott raise an eyebrow confused.

"Your dead mother?" Scott asks him confused as Ellie sends him a glare as Derek nods at Scott.

Melissa glares at Scott who sends her a sheepish smile making her shake her head at him.

"She told me something that changed my perspective on a lot of things. She said that my family didn't just live in Beacon Hills--they protected it. This town needs someone to protect it. Someone like you. Both of you," Derek tells the two making Ellie and Scott look at him.

"I think me and Stiles got it," Ellie says smirking at the boy as they high-five.

"And someone like you to teach me a few trade secrets...," Scott says before realization crosses his face.

"He was trying to protect us. Stiles was protecting us—from himself," Scott says making Ellie look at him worriedly.

"Explain what you are talking about right now Scott Gregorio McCall," Ellie demands making Scott look at her wide-eyed. 

"Gregorio?" Isaac asks chuckling slightly as Scott glares at Ellie who shrugs.

"How do you know my middle name?" Scott asks her as Ellie glares at him.

"I know a lot of things. Like how to inflect maximum pain without even moving an inch," Ellie tells him with a raised eyebrow as Scott gulps.

"It's really easy," Ellie tells Scott who just nods slightly at that.

"Stiles when we were looking for him. Derek and I realized he was once on the roof," Scott tells her making Ellie look wide-eyed.

"No," Ellie whispers before she gets up and runs towards the roof making Scott and Derek get up and follow her.

"What are we looking for?" Derek asks as the three of them look around the roof.

"I'm not sure...But I think Stiles wasn't just up here struggling with himself. I think he was struggling not to do something," Scott says as Ellie looks around before pausing noticing a box in front of one of the mental fences.

Walking towards it Ellie begins to climb it as Derek and Scott watch her worriedly. 

"Ellie! That is dangerous!" Chris yells at his daughter shaking his head.

"Ellie," Derek says worriedly as she rolls her eyes before looking confused and seeing a bag full of cables and tools.

"Uhm this isn't good," Ellie says as they look around confused until Scott realizes that one of the hospital's electrical cables was slightly cut.

Then suddenly a small burst of electricity burst through the air.

"Ellie," Derek yells pulling the brunette down and behind him as the powers boxes explode in a series of sparks. The previous cable broke and begins to whip around in the air before it falls off the roof.

"Uhm that isn't good," Ellie whispers out wide-eyed as she gulps.

"No Ellie it's not. Not at all," Stiles says as Ellie looks toward him.

"You know Stiles. I think if you and I were an evil duo we would be terrifying. We could probably rule the world," Ellie says making Stiles pause before nodding.

"No!" Was yelled around the room as the two pouts.

❀ ༄ ❀ AUTHOR NOTE ❀ ༄ ❀
Don't forget to comment! I hope you all enjoyed the chapter! I love you all!  <333