LETHAL
CHAPTER SIX

( ORPHANED )

— ☾ —

Alex and Liam were stood by the doorway, listening and watching the conversation between Rafe and Noah, Scott to the side.

"Sheriff, what is that? Is that the weapon?" Rafe frowned, referring to the thermo-cut wire in the plastic bag Noah was holding.

"Yeah, it's a thermo-cut wire." Noah responded with a sigh. Rafe quickly walked out of the room and to Jordan Parrish, not noticing that Liam and Alex were in the doorway. Noah followed after the FBI agent.

Alex and Liam took that as their chance to approach Scott.

"Where's Kira?" Scott frowned.

"She took off." Alex answered.

"Stiles told her about Lydia cracking the second part of the dead pool." Liam added.

"Her mom's on it." Scott realised, glancing between Alex and Liam.

"Everyone's on it." Liam responded.

"You're not." Scott spoke.

"Not yet." Alex added in. "There's still another third."

"A thermo-cut wire is a very unusual weapon." Rafe spoke to a girl that tried to kill Scott. "Used it on over a dozen murders."

"I don't know what you're talking about." The girl lied, a teasing smirk on her face as she shrugged, the handcuffs on her wrists jangling a little. "I just go to school here."

"Maybe we should just call your parents, then." Rafe responded, sarcastically. "Oh no, that's right, you don't have any parents. That's why they call you the orphans."

There had been, in fact, two killers killing the supernaturals on the list. That girl, and Garrett, one of the lacrosse players.

The girl glared at Rafe as Jordan Parrish began to take her away.

"We need to find her boyfriend, Garrett." Rafe spoke to the Sheriff, who nodded.

"Coach, I'm gonna need both their locker numbers." Noah spoke to Coach. "Someone find me a pair of bolt cutters."

Alex, Scott, and Liam shared glances at what they just witnessed.

••••

Alex tore off the lock on Garrett's locker, Scott walking up to the girl as Alex opened Garrett's locker. Liam was watching the doorway, making sure no one saw them.

Scott frowned as he noticed the bag of the Hale family's money, the boy gently nudging Alex. Alex glanced at the bag, the girl frowning at it.

"I think someone's coming, hurry." Liam spoke quietly, glancing at the pair. "You find anything?"

Alex was about to tell Liam about the bag, however, Scott spoke first. "No. Nothing."

Alex sent a confused glance to Scott, however, the boy didn't return the look.

••••

"Has anyone seen Stiles, Alex, Kira, or Lydia today?" The teacher asked, glancing at her class. "Malia? Any idea where your friends are?"

"I could try catching their scent." Malia responded seriously, the teacher blowing out a breath.

"Right..." The teacher responded. "How about I just mark them down as 'absent'?"

••••

Alex, Stiles, and Lydia followed Jordan into the police station.

"Your dad should be back in an hour." Jordan started, glancing at Stiles. "Do you want to wait in his office?"

"Actually, we want to talk to you." Stiles responded.

"Privately." Alex finished, Jordan frowning as he glanced between the trio.

••••

"Is this a hit list?" Jordan asked as he glanced at the dead pool.

"We call it a dead pool." Stiles replied. "Recognise any of the names?"

"Yeah, the sheriff had me run a bunch of these through a system last night." Jordan answered. "But we couldn't find any of them."

"Show him the other thing." Alex spoke to Lydia, who pointed to Jordan's name on the list.

Jordan was supernatural.

"Okay, that's kinda terrifying." Jordan frowned, confused. "What's the number?"

"That's how much you're worth." Lydia responded.

"I'm worth five dollars?" Jordan's frown deepened.

"Five million." Stiles corrected.

"I only make fourth thousand a year. Maybe I should kill myself." Jordan scoffed. "I don't get it, why am I on this?"

"Honestly that may be a question for another day, right now there's still another third of the list we've gotta crack." Alex responded.

"We need the third cipher key." Lydia added. "But we need help getting it."

"From who?" Jordan frowned.

"Meredith..." Lydia spoke quietly.

"The girl from Eichen?" Jordan raised his eyebrows as he walked over to the door, holding it open. "The last time you saw her you almost gave her a nervous breakdown."

"Uh, almost..." Lydia responded.

••••

"Oh no, not this guy..." Stiles mumbled as Brunski, the main boss of Eichen House, approached him, Alex, Lydia, and Jordan.

"Are you kidding me?" Alex whispered to herself in annoyance.

"What the hell are we runnin' here?!" Brunski exclaimed as he snatched the keys off a worker who was about to let the group into a room. "A bed and breakfast?! You do not just open a door for anyone with a badge."

"We need to talk to Meredith Walker." Jordan interrupted, Brunski turning to face him. "It involves a murder investigation."

"Well, you can talk to her all you want, but these three, especially that one." Brunski gestured to the teenagers, pointing at Stiles. "They're out of here."

"They're crucial witnesses in an ongoing investigation." Jordan responded simply. "I wouldn't have brought them here if it wasn't absolutely...crucial."

Alex and Stiles shared a glance.

"Okay, deputy." Brunski spoke through gritted teeth. "How about you come back with a court order? Then, I'll listen."

He moved over to face Stiles. "As for you, mister Stilinski. How about you come back with payment in full. That's right, daddy may be the sheriff, but he's late on the bills. I guess those government jobs aren't as reliable as they used to be."

Alex glared at Brunski, growling quietly, Lydia holding her wrist tightly so Alex couldn't lunge at him.

"Well, they do help when you need a favour." Jordan interrupted. "Like, how a month ago, Canaan P.D. helped you get home after blowing a point one on a breathalyser."

Alex smirked, Stiles whispering a little "oh no..." under his breath, a small smirk appearing on his face too as he raised his eyebrows in amusement.

"Alright." Brunski gave in. "I'm not against a little quid pro quo. Not at all." Brunski placed the keys in Stiles' hands, the amused smirks still placed on both Stiles and Alex's faces, Lydia holding in her chuckle.

Alex flipped Brunski off as the man walked away.

"You, you, I like you." Stiles spoke to Jordan, handing the police officer the keys to Meredith's room.

The four walked into Meredith's room as Jordan unlocked it, only to find Meredith sitting on the edge of her bed, the dimly light lamps on the side tables, along with the moonlight out the window, being the only source of light in the room.

••••

"Meredith, what do you mean you can't tell us?" Alex frowned as she crossed her arms. She was seated in the middle of Stiles and Alex, the three teenagers sitting on the bed opposite Meredith's.

"We just need the third key. You can give it to us in numbers, letters, hieroglyphs. Whatever you want." Stiles added.

"I can't." Meredith responded simply.

"Then why did you give us the second key?" Lydia frowned in confusion.

"I wanted to help." Meredith answered. "That's what I want to do, I want to help."

"Great! So help us now!" Lydia exclaimed impatiently. "Give is the third cipher key." She spoke more calmly.

"Things...have changed...I- I can't." Meredith responded, glancing at the ground.

"Why not?" Stiles asked.

"Meredith, why not?" Alex frowned when Meredith didn't answer.

"Guys, go easy on her." Jordan interrupted, Stiles and Alex glancing at him briefly.

"I'm sorry, I can't...he doesn't want me to." Meredith spoke, glancing between the three teens across from her.

"He? Who's he?" Alex asked curiously.

"Meredith, who doesn't want you to tell us the third cipher key?" Lydia added.

"The benefactor." Meredith responded.

"What's his name?" Lydia asked, standing up.

Meredith didn't say anything.

"You could just tell us his name." Alex frowned, Meredith shaking her head.

"Okay, you're shaking your head. What does that mean?" Stiles narrowed his eyes slightly. "Does that mean you don't know? Or you don't want to help us?"

"I- I can't help anyone." Meredith stuttered, Lydia and Alex sharing a quick glance.

"How do you know about him?" Lydia asked, Meredith beginning to shake her head, whimpering.

"Guys, I think we better stop." Jordan interrupted.

"Meredith, a lot of people are going to die if you don't tell us!" Lydia exclaimed, causing Meredith to become panicked.

"I- I don't...I don't know, I don't know." Meredith shook her head. "Please..."

"Meredith, it's okay, you're going to be alright." Jordan spoke, trying to calm her down.

"I don't- I don't know...I don't know..." Meredith spoke a little louder, ignoring Jordan.

"Meredith-"

"I said I don't know!" Meredith screamed, Lydia covering her ears in pain, Stiles catching the girl before she could fall.

Alex frowned as she glanced at Lydia's ear. It was bleeding.

Stiles noticed too, him and Alex widening their eyes as they glanced at Meredith, who was releasing breaths and still shaking her head.

••••

Lydia typed Derek's name into her laptop, the last third of the list uncovering.

Stiles widened his eyes as Lydia raised her eyebrows.

Stiles' eyes scanned the list, frowning as he read two names. One of them was Malia Hale. This was unusual, as Malia's last name was Tate. Or, that's what the group thought.

The second name confused Stiles even more.

Lucas Carter.

••••

"You counted it yet?" Stiles asked, glancing at Scott. Alex's arm was wrapped around Stiles' bicep, the girl's head gently resting on Stiles' shoulder.

Stiles thought to himself briefly. I can't tell her just yet.

"No." Scott responded, shaking his head. The three all glanced at the bag of money Scott found in Garrett's locker.

"We should probably count it." Alex added as she untangled herself from Stiles, helping the boys take out all the money from the bag.

Scott, Alex, and Stiles frowned as they shared a glance. A cassette tape fell out of the bag.