-three days earlier-

Panic surged through me as I sat up, my breath coming out in laboured puffs as my heart fought against my ribcage, as if clawing to get out. 

A cold sweat coated my body as I slumped against the headboard, trying in vain to rationalize what I just saw. 

Turning, my eyes landed on Liam's still body next to me in bed...he was still sleeping. 

As silently as I could, I pulled myself from the warm bed, a chill shocking through me as my feet hit the hardwood floor. Liam stirred slightly from the bed, but didn't wake. 

Shakily, I padded into the washroom, softly closing the door behind me as I lowered myself down onto the cool tiles, my phone clutched in my shaky hands as I clicked on his contact. 

My brother picked up straight away, his voice clear and alert, as if it wasn't four o'clock in the morning.

"Syd?"

"Hey," I whispered, ensuring to keep my voice as low as I could. "Sorry if I woke you."

I couldn't see him, but I could easily envision Scott shaking his head. "You didn't." He assured. "I've been up for a while."

"Everything okay?" I wondered, a slight edge to my voice. Even through the phone, I could sense that something was off with my brother. 

He let out a small sigh from the other end. "Shouldn't I be asking you that? I mean, you're the one calling at four am."

"Right." I muttered, resting my head against the wall behind me, knees now pulled up to my chest. "I—" Pausing, I closed my eyes for a moment. "You're gonna think I'm crazy."

"Bet you I won't."

Opening my eyes again, I felt the memories of what had woken me flooding back to me, gripping my heart with a mixtures of emotions I couldn't quite decipher. "I saw her." I whispered, voice constricted. "Allison." Her name was soft as it left my lips, as if speaking it might hurt my brother. "Two nights ago, I had a dream about her, but it was short and it wasn't out of the norm...but tonight—" My sentence broke as it felt like a sob was crawling up my throat. "She was crying out to me, begging for me to help her. But I couldn't—I couldn't get to her."

Scott was silent for a moment, my words seeming to hang in the air. 

When he finally spoke, his voice was almost quieter than mine had been. "I saw her too—I've been seeing her."

Without even knowing it, a let out a breath of relief...I wasn't going crazy. 

"What does this mean?" I wondered, nervously toying at the draw string of my pajamas. 

"Maybe it's just the time of year." Scott offered, evident that he didn't even believe his own words. "The anniversary of her death is coming up."

I shook my head, "Scott, the anniversary of her death isn't for another three months."

He was silent again, mulling over his words. "Yeah." He breathed, "You're right."

"So what do we do?" I wondered, still believing my big brother had all of the answers. 

"You go back to bed." Scott answered quickly, "Get some more sleep, go to work, and stop worrying about this for now."

"Scott—"

"Sydney. Let me handle this for now. I'll keep you updated on what I find out."

I couldn't help but roll my eyes. Almost thirty years old and he still wouldn't treat me like an adult. 

But I had learned it was easier not to argue with him. Especially when I was this tired. 

"Fine." I grumbled, a yawn tumbling from my lips. "But you better keep me updated."

Scott let out a small laugh. "I will. Now go to bed, Syd."

"You too." I ordered, knowing he was avoiding sleep of his own. "And come visit soon, yeah?"

"I will." He assured. "Night, Syd."

A soft smile came to my lips, "Night, Scott."

My phone felt heavy as I lowered it from my ear. Now, more than ever, I wished my brother was stil sleeping across the hall from me. He didn't live in Beacon Hills anymore, and while I didn't see him everyday, I still saw him enough. But it never really felt like enough. 

He had been my safe space for so long, and now he just wasn't here. 

Liam definitely filled that void, making me feel just as safe as ever. But it didn't mean that I didn't miss my brother. 

As I slipped back into my side of the bed, Liam turned over. "You okay, babe?" He murmured, reaching out to pull me toward him. 

I relaxed into his chest, giving him a small nod. "Yeah, just a bad dream."

---

-NOW-

Scott hadn't kept true to his promise of updating me when he learned more about what our visions meant. 

Because I had barely heard from him in three days, and now he wasn't answering my calls at all. 

"Nothing from Malia." Liam announced from where he sat atop my desk. 

"Lydia either." Kira confirmed, the worried expression still covering her face. 

Letting out a sigh, I shoved my phone back into the pocket of my pants. "They're up to something." I muttered, knowing those dreams I had been having of Allison meant something. Something that Scott was keeping from me. 

Kira regarded me with a slightly suspicious expression. "Do you know something I don't?"

Liam looked between the two of us, his eyes lingering on me the longest. "Tell her." He prodded. 

"Tell me what?"

Sucking in my cheeks, I shook my head for a moment, almost regretting that I told Liam about the dreams. "About a week ago, I started having these dreams...about Allison. Scott's been having them too."

Kira studied my expression for a moment. "Dreams?"

"Yeah." I confirmed with a small nod. "But they're not just regular dreams. In them, she's crying out for help, begging me to come help her. And she's here...in Beacon Hills."

"Where exactly?"

"Im not sure." I answered honestly. "Somewhere in the woods, but I can't tell where."

As the words left my mouth, something finally clicked in my brain. I felt my entire face pale as my body froze for a moment. "Wait."

Sitting up slightly, Liam watched me with concern. "Syd?"

"I know where it is." I whispered, fragments of my dream slowly coming back to me. "And I know where Scott and the others are."

Kira seemed literally on edge as she awaited my response, Liam  simply wearing a look of concern. 

"It's the Nemeton."

Somehow, everything led back to that damn stump. 

"It all makes sense." I continued, putting the pieces together. "Everything is connected." Rounding my desk, I dug through my purse for my car keys. "We have to find Scott."

"Wait." Liam ordered, reaching out to stop me before I could reach the door. His hand gripped my wrist, but he wasn't looking at me. Instead, he had his head turned slightly, as if listening. 

"Something's wrong." He announced, his words causing my heart to drop slightly. 

Pulling me back, he stepped toward the door. "Stay behind me."

I looked to Kira, her expression similar to mine as we stepped into the hallway behind Liam. 

The school was empty, everyone outside for the lacrosse game Liam was supposed to be coaching with Coach Finstock. But even in the virtual silence, I could tell that something was wrong. 

Somewhere from around the corner, the outer doors slammed, drawing all of our attention in that direction. 

"Come on," Liam whispered, leading us from my office and toward the locker rooms. 

We took off, rushing down the hallway, unsure of what we were about to walk into. 

But in the all the possibilities I could have come up with as to what we were going to find, this was never one of them. 

The first thing I noticed when we rounded the corner was the figure that laid on the ground, blood seeping from their neck. With a jolt of panic, I soon realized who it was. 

Derek let out a sputter of pain, attempting to hold pressure to the wound that had sliced through his flesh. 

My eyes wild and wide, I focused on his assailant, and soon, it felt that all the blood had left my body. 

My heart rose in my throat as my eyes narrowed in on her. 

It had been fifteen years, but there was no denying that it was her. 

Allison. 

But there was no time to dwell on the fact that she was here...that she was alive, because her bow and arrow was raised, and aimed right at Derek. 

Liam was the first to jump into action, prompting me to finally move from the spot I felt like I had been glued to. 

As my husband stepped in front of us, immediately stopping the arrow that was fired in our direction, I dropped down on the ground next to Derek, replacing his hands with my own, trying to stop the bleeding. 

"Hold on, Derek." I ordered, my panicked eyes watching as Kira blocked the next arrow that was fired, her fox form glowing around her body. 

Allison faltered slightly, watching as her arrowed burned beneath the fox's fire. 

Footsteps sounded from behind us, and as I turned my head slightly, I could see Scott and Malia rushing toward us. 

When I looked forward once again, Allison was gone. 

"Oh, shit." Scott breathed, dropping to his knees next to Derek and I. 

Derek's hands shot up, gripping onto my own. "You have to—you have to get to Eli."

Scott shook his head, glancing around for a moment. "Derek, he's not here."

"He was." Derek assured. "He knows what to do. We have—we have a plan."

His warm blood seeped through my fingers, causing me to let out a ragged breath of frustration. "Derek, you're going to be fine." I ordered, trying to keep my emotions at bay. "Just—just don't talk."

He ignored my orders, eyes darting between Scott and me. "He has the—he has the car. He'll go to the shop...he knows what to do."

As the final words slipped from his mouth, Derek's hands fell from atop mine, his head lulling to the side as his eyes closed. 

"Hey!" Scott snapped, trying to get him to open his eyes. "Derek."

My breath came out in ragged bursts as I pushed harder against the wound, doing anything I could to slow the bleeding. "We need mom." I whispered. 

Scott glanced up at me, his sad eyes revealing that he knew she was our only hope for Derek right now. 

"Scott," Liam declared, watching the two of us with careful eyes. "It's not just Allison."

Only now seeming to notice that Kira was here, Scott looked to me with an explanation. 

"It's the Nogitsune." I answered, voice wavering. 

"And the Oni." Liam added. "They're coming."

Scott dropped his head, as if not believing what he was hearing. 

A week ago, we had been living our lives away from all the chaos that we were used to as teenagers, and now, we were thrown right back into it. 

"Scott, what do we do?" Liam questioned, the beta looking for guidance from his alpha. 

Across from me, Scott's eyes flashed red, the plan coming together in his mind. "Liam and Syd, get to Stilinski, find Lydia, and tell them we need their help. Tell them we need everyone. Kira, Malia, help me get him out of here."

Moving to take my place, Scott swapped his hands with my own, him now being the only thing stopping Derek from bleeding out. 

Looking to my brother as I pushed myself to my feet, I gave him a small nod. "Be safe." I ordered. 

Scott glanced up at me, giving me the look he always used to. The look that told me to do everything necessary to stay alive. "You too."

He then gave Liam the look reserved for only him, the one that said keep my little sister safe. 

Liam nodded, reaching out to pull me close to him, the two of us already taking off down the hall. 

Somehow, this felt like deja vu.