"𝓉ℯ𝓁𝓁 𝓂ℯ 𝓌𝒽𝒾𝒸𝒽 ℴ𝓃ℯ 𝒾𝓈 𝓌ℴ𝓇𝓈ℯ, 𝓁𝒾𝓋𝒾𝓃𝑔 ℴ𝓇 𝒹𝓎𝒾𝓃𝑔 𝒻𝒾𝓇𝓈𝓉"

Ophelia Stone had been in the shower for half an hour, hoping to wash away the incredible guilt that continues festering away inside of her. So far, it hadn't worked. The first thing she wanted to do was find Lydia; that was all that was on her mind. But she had to make sure the nogitsune didn't have any hold on her anymore, she wouldn't and couldn't risk interacting with anyone unless she was one-hundred percent sure. Everything felt like her fault. She blames herself for everything that had happened since Eichen House. Because it really is her fault. It's her fault that she gave in. It's her fault for not fighting the dark spirit any longer. She already has hundreds, maybe thousands, of dead and injured bodies on her conscience. But these ones are different. They're personal.

She had seen everything. Ophelia's only choice was to watch helplessly as she attacked Stiles, when she had slaughtered dozens at Eichen House, when she had hurt Kira's mother... Even though she knows that it wasn't necessarily her doing these things, it still felt like it. It was her body, her face, and her voice. She can't imagine what her friends must be thinking. What if they hate her? What if she's traumatised them all so much that they'll never be able to look at her the same? Or worse, ever again. What if she's lost her family because all she was trying to do in the beginning was save them?

Someone knocks on the bathroom door and Ophelia lifts her head off the tiled wall, quickly turning the shower off. "Yeah?" she calls out, grabbing a towel and wrapping it around her body.

"Uh, hey, it's me," Scott responds, talking through the closed door. "I, um, I have a change of clothes Stiles got from your house... I'll leave them outside."

She closes her eyes. "Thanks, Scott." She inhales a deep breath as she listens to him walk away. As much as he had tried to hide it, she can sense his anxiety. She heard his heartbeat increase when he approached the door, then calm when he walked away. She knows that they're all scared of her, but she doesn't blame them. For the first time in a while, even Ophelia fears herself.

As she gets dressed, her own anxiety builds at the thought of talking to them all properly. When Lydia had disappeared, she had quickly excused herself to come upstairs and shower. She hasn't had a full conversation with any of them. Ophelia makes her way into Scott's bedroom where Stiles is waiting for her, and he spins around at her arrival, giving her a small smile. Surprisingly, he doesn't seem nervous to see her. "Hey," he says quietly.

She tries her best not to breathe through her nose. After all, the nogitsune had turned her back into a Ripper. Right now, all she wants to do is rip into her best friend's neck. "Hi." Her eyes lock onto the bandage covering the puncture wounds on his neck and another pang of guilt hits her.

Stiles' eyes soften as he notices, and he takes a step closer to her. "Fi, it's okay," he begins. "Really, it's okay. You don't need to feel bad; it wasn't you." She opens her mouth but he cuts her off before she can say anything. "No, don't. I know what it's like, I watched myself stab Scott. And I feel so unbelievably horrible about it but I'm starting to feel less, I guess..." She closes her eyes and a tear rolls down her cheek. "You didn't have any control, neither of us did. And I know you wouldn't do anything to hurt me."

"I'm so sorry," she whispers, finally meeting his eyes.

"Me too," he says softly. They both take a seat on the end of the bed. "So... You know you woke up when you heard Malia's name." He arches a brow at her. "Wanna delve into that?" Stiles laughs lightly when she violently shoves him, almost sending him toppling off the bed, but his face falls in concern when her fingers touch his arm. She's cold. Violently cold. "Hey, do you want a blanket or something? You're freezing."

Ophelia clears her throat. "No, no, I'm fine," she denies. "It's nothing, I'm all right." He nods, but it's clear he isn't convinced. He isn't going to tell her aloud, but she looks like she's dying. Her skin is still unnaturally pale and the bags under her eyes haven't lightened in colour, which is more than concerning, especially if the nogitsune really has left her.

They both look up when both Scott and Melissa slowly enter the room. The nurse avoids eye contact with Ophelia and the hybrid can sense her chemo-signals. She's terrified. Based on the interaction between them yesterday, Ophelia doesn't hold anything against her. It might be a while before their relationship returns to what it used to be. It might be like that with everyone. Stiles and Scott watch the way her face falls after looking at Melissa and the boys share a look.

"Is she here?" Ophelia asks in a small voice.

Scott nods. "Yeah."

She takes a deep breath to prepare herself, but in hindsight it wasn't a smart move. Blood fills her senses and she immediately screws her eyes shut, unaware of the veins that crawl down her cheeks. The three watching her all share a look, concern and a little fear on their faces when she opens her eyes again. "I'm fine," Ophelia says firmly. "Let's just do this." The boys and Melissa look less than happy that Noshiko is downstairs, but she's adamant. "I have to do this."

They don't have the chance to respond as she brushes past Scott and Melissa, trying to hurry downstairs in case someone attempts to stop her. However, right before she reaches the stairs, she stumbles, suddenly feeling extremely lightheaded. Scott rushes forward and puts an arm around her waist, letting her lean against him. "You okay?" he asks in worry.

Ophelia smiles slightly. Right now, she can't sense his anxiety. "Yeah, just a little dizzy." He helps her down the stairs with Stiles and Melissa right behind them. As they enter the living room, they find Noshiko Yukimura awaiting. "Well, this is awkward," Ophelia mutters.

She looks directly at the girl who was recently possessed as she says, "I take it you recognise me." Ophelia grimaces and nods, gently moving Scott's arm off her to walk over to the kitsune.

"Stop!" Kira races inside through the back door, desperately urging her mother not to go through with what she knows is planned. Her eyes widen as she locks eyes onto Ophelia for the first time in days.

Ophelia's lips twitch at the display of concern shown from her acquaintance. "It's okay, Kira. It was my idea, I asked her to come."

The dark-haired girl scoffs. "You're the one who's going to get stabbed with swords!" She turns to her mother. "Mom, please don't do this to her."

"It's already done," Noshiko says.

Melissa gasps as an oni materialises out of thin air. Then another appears before Ophelia. She straightens herself, trying to pretend to be confident, because... fake it 'till you make it, right? She's terrified. She's terrified that she's going to die in a second, unable to say the goodbyes to the people she needs to. But there's also a calmness that warms her body as she looks into the neon eyes of the oni, because if the nogitsune is still within her, this would end it. They stare at each other for another moment before one of the creatures lunges toward her, tightly gripping her head as its eyes bore into her soul.

Seconds later, she crumples to the floor and the oni disappear.

"Check behind her ear," Noshiko instructs.

Scott rushes over to the shivering girl, flipping her ear back and heaving a sigh of relief when he spots the black symbol on her skin. "It worked," he announces.

Ophelia's teeth chatter violently and she manages to say to Scott, "My-my arm." His eyes widen after a second as he realises what she's trying to get across. Her body trembles uncontrollably and her skin literally feels like ice. "Just do it."

Scott nods and after taking a few deep breaths, he places his hand on her forearm, then breaks the bone in half. Melissa and Kira both flinch in horror at the sight and sound, whilst Stiles' skin pales upon seeing the bone sticking out, immediately running out the room to the bathroom.

A roar echoes through the house as Ophelia's eyes shine a bright red. The girl lurches up off the floor, breathing heavily but no longer shivering from the process. It's something she had heard from Isaac and Boyd: triggering their healing helps. She leans back against the couch, trying to catch her breath as she snaps her arm back into place, wincing at the pain. "So... I'm me?"

Noshiko nods, completely unfazed by what she had just seen. "More you than the nogitsune," she says.

"Can the oni find her?"

"Tomorrow night. It's too close to dawn now."

Ophelia grits her teeth together in frustration. "Can they kill her?"

"Based on how strong she is, I'm not sure."

The little hope Ophelia had diminishes as soon as she had heard 'I'm not sure.' "Okay, but what about Lydia?" she asks, raising the question that's on everyone's minds. "Why would me two-point-oh take her?"

"She would only take Lydia for an advantage," Noshiko answers.

Scott's brows furrow. "Wait, you mean her power?"

"The power of a banshee."

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Lydia Martin sits with her back up against the stone wall, her hands cradling her head as she can't help but listen to the multitude of voices she's hearing. She knows where she is, the tunnels in the abandoned Oak Creek internment camp, and the screams she hears are from the hundreds of those that died here. As she stands up to pace, her head snaps to the side as another dying scream of agony rings through her head. "Can you hear them?" Lydia's breath catches in her throat at the sight of the girl in the distance, slowly making her way out of the shadows. She hears Ophelia sigh. "Oh, who am I kidding, of course you hear them. Louder than usual, though, isn't it?"

She watches the girl with the face of her best friend stalk toward her, her hands entwined behind her back as she approaches. Lydia's heart pounds within her chest like an anvil and she quickly shuts her eyes as if it'll block out the familiar voice. Even if it doesn't, at least she won't have to look into the eyes of Ophelia Stone.

"Well, that's because a lot of bad things happened down here, Lydia." The nogitsune smiles as Lydia begins to hurry away, her breaths short in panic. "What are the voices telling you? Are they saying that Ophelia is dying?" Lydia looks over her shoulder and quietly whimpers in fear. "She is, you know," she confirms in a sing-song voice. "She's dying."

A few months ago, Lydia had thought a hybrid could only die of two ways. But a few months ago, she also wasn't aware of what a kitsune or nogitsune was. She doesn't know what's possible anymore. As she turns the corner of the dark corridor, Lydia takes a deep breath before yelling, "Then what do you need me for? You think I can tell you something?" Her eyes widen with hope as she spots a gate and lunges toward it, frantically tugging on it as she prays that it'll open.

She hears the manic giggles behind her echo through the tunnels. "Oh, I know you can," Ophelia calls out.

"I'm not telling you anything!" Lydia shrieks.

In a split-second, Ophelia is no longer metres away from her. She's right behind her. "You won't have to," the nogitsune whispers. Lydia screws her eyes shut again when she feels a lock of hair being tucked behind her ear. "You'll be screaming."

⋆｡ ﾟ☁︎｡ ⋆｡ ﾟ☾ ﾟ｡ ⋆

Within his office, Noah Stilinski sits at his desk looking completely defeated. Sure, his son is safe, well, relatively safe, but the girl he considers a daughter isn't. He hears a knock at the door then it opens. "Go home, Sheriff," Deputy Parrish tells him. "If anything comes up about her, you know you'd be the first person I'd call."

Without turning around, Noah continues staring out his window and says, "I'm not going anywhere."

"Well, neither am I since my shift doesn't end until dawn," Parrish jokes. "You need a coffee?"

The Sheriff shakes his head. "You're a good guy, Parrish. That's what they all said at your previous station." He finally turns his chair around to face the man. "Though no one could tell me exactly why you left."

"Maybe I needed a change. I don't really know. I guess... I kind of felt drawn here. And I knew there were openings."

Noah folds his arms on his desk. "Do you know why there were openings?"

"The statistics don't worry me," Parrish brushes off.

"They worry me," he retorts, thinking about the sheer number of cold cases sitting in the filing room.

"Well, then maybe you need to get some sleep. Go home, Sheriff."

Sighing in exhaustion, Noah grabs his coat off the back of his chair. "Ah, if I could just find my keys..."

"Coffee cup, Dad," Stiles reminds him from the door. His father gives him a thumbs up of appreciation and plucks the chain out of the cup on his desk.

But then Noah Stilinski looks up and over to where he's expecting just his son. Stood beside Stiles is Scott and Ophelia. His eyes widen and he glances to the boys who quickly nod in confirmation. "Hi," she says quietly. "Sheriff, I'm so sorry-" Before she can utter any further apologies, she's interrupted as he pulls her into a suffocating hug. Ophelia smiles and lets him squeeze her tightly.

"It's good to have you back, kid," he whispers as he pats her back. As they pull away from each other, they all share a smile. "So... Is it over?"

Ophelia swallows nervously. "No. No, not yet."

The three teens proceed to fill him in about the last twelve or so hours of their lives, bringing emphasis to Lydia's sudden disappearance. After informing his colleagues about the missing strawberry blonde, Stilinski hurries back into his office to converse with them. "We got an APB out on her car," he shares. "Every unit on the road is looking for her."

"Isn't there anything else that we could do?" Scott questions.

Noah shakes his head. "At this hour? No, not really."

"He took her for a reason, Dad," Stiles reminds. "Look, if we can figure out the why, then we'll figure out the where."

Sitting in the desk chair, Ophelia finally speaks up. "I'll go," she states. All three males look to her. "I mean, wolf me can go. I can try to track her scent, there has to be something."

"Fi, you can barely walk," Scott says gently.

Her jaw clenches. "I'm fine, Scott," she snaps. "It's Lydia, okay? I can't sit around and do nothing. I have to find her!" She abruptly stands up. "This is all my fault and-" Ophelia gasps in pain as she staggers to the side, her friends instantly moving over and helping her stand.

Stiles sighs. "Hey, remember what we talked about? It's not your fault, Fi." She digs her fangs into her lip deep enough to draw blood. "None of this is your fault."

"We don't even know if you'll be able to turn into your wolf," Scott points out quietly, watching her fight back tears of frustration. "We can help from here, okay?"

"Okay," she mumbles.

Noah's eyes linger on her in concern. He's obviously noticed her physical state, and as he shares a subtle look with the boys it's clear that they're just as worried as he is. "Okay..." He glances behind him before lowering his voice. "What would a nogitsune need with a banshee?"

"I don't know, Lydia's pretty good at finding dead bodies. Maybe she needs to find a body?"

Ophelia's eyebrows furrow in thought. "No," she says suddenly. "I mean, yes, but no. I think all of this is more than just finding a body. Look, Lydia can literally feel death. Maybe the nogitsune took her to predict one."

Stiles' eyes widen as he understands what she's saying. "She's got Lydia so she'll know if the oni are coming to kill her. She's got Lydia so she can predict her own death." The hybrid nods. "Well, shit," he deadpans.

"Scott, you know more about this than all of us," Noah tells the boy.

Scott's eyes widen in surprise. "Me?"

"You said you got the whole story from Noshiko?"

"Yeah, but that happened during World War II. Like, seventy years ago."

Stiles and Ophelia lock eyes. "Wait, what did you say?" the former asks.

Scott looks to him as he says, "Noshiko told me about the internment camp-"

"No, no, before that." Ophelia turns back to the Sheriff. "You said, the whole story."

"Yeah." Scott glances between his best friends in confusion. "Guys, what is it?"

Meredith. Stiles and Ophelia had heard the girl talking on the payphone in Eichen House, only to learn that it wasn't working. I should tell them, she had said. They're going to want to know the story. Then she had looked over her shoulder to Stiles and Ophelia as she added, The whole story. At the time, they didn't think much of it, nor the small interaction they had with her. But now... Now, it's starting to make sense. "There's a girl in Eichen," Ophelia begins. "Her name's Meredith."

Stiles nods. "We think she might be able to help."

A few minutes later, Parrish enters the office after making a phone call to Eichen House. "Sheriff?" The group of four turn around to him. "Meredith Walker."

"She's still there?"

"Yeah, but they moved her to the Closed Unit."

"Why?"

Parrish shrugs. "They said behavioural issues."

"What issues?" Stiles asks.

"She wouldn't stop screaming."

Ophelia claps her hands together as she and her friends all share a look with each other. "Well, hot damn," she exclaims.

⋆｡ ﾟ☁︎｡ ⋆｡ ﾟ☾ ﾟ｡ ⋆

They had been directed to go home by Stilinski, the man insisting that Ophelia should get some well-deserved sleep. But she couldn't. As much as she knows she desperately should before she ends up killing everyone, she just can't. Not when Lydia isn't safe. Even though she knows countless people are out looking for the girl, there's something that makes her think if the nogitsune doesn't want them to be found... they aren't going to be found. She can hear Scott and Stiles on the couch opposite her in the living room quietly talking to one another about their situation as she pretends to be asleep. The least she can do is lessen their concern for her and act like she's getting the rest they know she needs. Instead, she lays awake, thinking about the various potential scenarios. What if the dark spirit is torturing her best friend? Or worse, what if void had snapped and Lydia is somewhere on the ground dead? No, that's not possible, because the entire town would have heard her dying scream...

Stiles and Scott share another look with each other and halt their conversation. The werewolf sighs. "Fi, we know you're awake," he says.

With her eyes closed, Ophelia mumbles, "No, I'm fast asleep."

Stiles rolls his eyes in amusement. "Yeah, sure you are." She huffs a sigh and winces as she sits up, her bones aching in pain like she's bruised her entire body.

"Do you want something to eat?" Scott asks softly. "We have some blood bags in the kitchen." She's never nodded so quickly in her life. Moments later, he returns with a collection of bags in his hand. "These are all the ones we have left... Uh, I figured you'd want them all, 'cause... well, you know."

"Yep, I'm a raging bloodsucker. I know." Ophelia takes the pile with a weak smile. "Thanks," she says quietly. They sit in silence as she drains the scarlet liquid like she hasn't drank in weeks. Halfway through, she looks up to her friends and hesitantly asks, "Could I borrow one of your jumpers please?"

"Jumper?" Scott asks in confusion.

"Oh, um, sweaters are what you call them here. A coat, just, anything." She dumps the final bag into the trashcan in front of her. "I can't seem to get warm."

Stiles' brows draw together in concern as he remembers the moment earlier when he had touched her hand. She was freezing. When they were first getting accustomed to her vampire side months ago, they had asked Ophelia countless questions regarding if the movies or theories really were true. Something she had mentioned was that they are unnaturally cold to the touch, but it's able to be managed by drinking hot beverages like coffee; they had seen her go through ten mugs in a single day. Because she's a hybrid, some of the vampire aspects are dulled down, for example, she doesn't feel as cold to the touch as a normal vampire would because she's also part werewolf. However, right now she's much colder than she normally would be, and Stiles is guessing that she's also colder than what a regular vampire would be like.

Scott nods and stands up from the couch. "Yeah, of course, I'll go grab one," he tells her, placing a hand on her shoulder as he moves past. But the boy stills when he touches her bare skin, watching his veins instantly turn black. "You're in pain," he observes in alarm. Stiles' eyes widen.

She sighs. "Ah, yes, werewolves: the giant walking, talking painkillers." Scott gives her a look. "It's okay, I'm fine," she dismisses, eyes flicking down to the floor. "It's manageable." Ophelia takes in a deep breath and gives her friends another weak smile. "Just like a dull ache."

"Where?" Scott presses in concern.

She hesitates. "Well, it's sort of... everywhere..."

The boys lock eyes in immense worry. Scott crouches down before her. "Lia, tell me the truth," he says gently. "How much does it really hurt?"

Ophelia Stone closes her eyes. "A lot," she whispers.

And then a phone vibrates. Scott gives her an apologetic look as he answers the call, Stiles running out the room to go and get her a thick coat. "Hey, what's up?"

She hears Kira quickly respond. "She's here. In Coach's class. And you need to get here now, too. Like, right now."

The call hangs up just as Stiles sprints back into the room, handing the hybrid a black coat with a grin. "Had to get to the top of the cupboard," he tells her proudly. She can't help but smile.

"So, I take it we're going to school then," Ophelia concludes, arching a brow to Scott.

He nods. "Seems like it."

"School?" Stiles repeats with a grimace. "Come on, man..."

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As Lydia hurries back down the stairs to the locked iron gate, a tear slips down her cheek. "They'll find me," she whispers. "My friends are going to find me." She desperately tries to wrench the gate open, despite knowing that her attempts will be futile. Then the voice pops up behind her and she tries her best to ignore it. It's what the nogitsune wants, after all, to scare her then feed off her fear.

"You think so? I myself, was kind of wondering what they're doing right about now." Ophelia watches the banshee continue to struggle to open the gate. "What useless lead they're chasing after... I wonder if maybe some of them have bigger problems to deal with right now. Bigger problems than finding you." Lydia finally stops and rests her head against the bars in defeat. "Are they really spending every single minute looking for you? Or are they waiting for nightfall, focused on some hopeless gesture to pass the time."

Lydia clutches onto the bars for a few seconds before taking a deep breath and mustering the courage to turn around and look her in the eye. "What do you want?" she asks quietly.

The nogitsune smiles. "More."

"More what?"

"The tricker stories are all about food, Lydia. The coyote, the raven, the fox. They're all hungry." Ophelia stands up from her position on the stairs and slowly descends to the girl. "I'm the same. I just... crave something a little different." Lydia Martin turns away, tears of terror brimming in her eyes as the nogitsune stops before her. "I eat what you feel." Lydia flinches when her hair is suddenly brushed to the side, then feels sharp teeth graze along her neck. "And I am insatiable."

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They had discovered Meredith in the high school with Bobby Finstock who had handed the girl over to his (favourite) students in a hurry, thankfully not asking any questions. As they all pile into the Jeep, Kira bids them goodbye before racing off. Ophelia turns around in the front seat to look at Meredith seated beside Scott in the back. "Where's Lydia?" she snaps impatiently. Stiles and Scott stare at her pointedly. "Right, sorry. Where's Lydia?"

Stiles grimaces. "A little better..."

Meredith glances between them all in confusion. "Who's Lydia?"

Stiles turns back around to stare out the windshield. "Well, fuck," he states.

The plan is to return to the McCall residence and try and talk to Meredith more. They're desperate. She has to know something. However, as they burst back through the front door, they freeze at the sight of Boyd and Isaac awkwardly sitting in front of Rafael McCall. The man stands looking straight at the group who have just barged inside. "What are you doing here?" Scott questions in surprise.

"I could ask you the same thing," he retorts.

"Free period."

"Skipping."

Stiles and Ophelia turn to look at each other in alarm after they had simultaneously blurted out responses.

"Skipping!"

"Free period?"

Scott drags a hand down his face in exasperation. Isaac and Boyd struggle to contain their snickers. McCall raises his eyebrows, clearly unimpressed. "Which is it?"

"We're doing group study," Stiles answers calmly. Ophelia nods vigorously in agreement.

"And who's she?"

Improvising quickly, Stiles wraps an arm around Meredith's shoulders. "She's my girlfriend." Ophelia squints her eyes and turns to observe them.

Meredith pulls away from him slightly and deadpans, "You're not my type."

Stiles purses his lips. "Well, obviously we have a lot to talk about. We should maybe take this upstairs."

"He's my type." Everyone falls silent as Meredith looks over at Isaac.

Ophelia slaps a hand over her mouth as she giggles. "Okay, Isaac, you can come too," Stiles adds. Boyd discreetly waves his hand about. "And Boyd as well, you clearly aren't happy about that announcement." Ophelia's laughter loudens to cackles at the werewolf's incredulous expression.

As they move toward the staircase, Rafael pulls his son aside, leaving his friends to go up without him. The second they're all filed inside the bedroom, Isaac and Boyd leap over to Ophelia and pull her into a tight hug. Her eyes widen. "Hi, yes, I'm thrilled to see you both, but you're hurting me!" They instantly jump back, sharing a look in both confusion and concern. She waves a hand to dismiss them. "It's fine, let it go."

Stiles clears his throat, understanding that she doesn't want to delve into the matter any further. He turns to Meredith seated on the end of Scott's bed. "Okay, Meredith, this girl we're trying to find. Her name's Lydia, okay?"

Her eyes widen slightly in recognition. "Lydia? You mean the red-haired girl," she says.

"Yes!" Ophelia exclaims in relief. "Oh, thank bloody Satan."

Stiles nods, equally as happy that they're getting somewhere. "Good, progress! Now, all you got to do is tell us where is."

"Okay. If she tells me."

All four teenagers stare at her. "If... If she tells you?" Isaac asks in confusion. Meredith nods.

Boyd clears his throat. "Uh, well, can you ask her?"

"I already did," she confirms with a proud smile.

"Perfect!" Stiles proclaims. "Perfect. What did she say?"

Meredith's eyes flick between them all, lingering slightly longer on Ophelia. "She said... she doesn't want to be found."

The hybrid's jaw clenches in anger. "Oh, that's bullshit!" she yells. Meredith flinches at the sudden display of rage and Isaac and Boyd grab her in alarm, forcefully pulling her into the adjoining bathroom whilst Stiles apologises to Meredith. "That is such bullshit!"

Seconds later, Stiles rushes inside and leaves the door just open. "Fi, you can't do that," he hisses. Her eyes widen in incredulity. "No, I mean you can't take it out on her, okay? She said she's trying."

"I don't believe it," the blonde retorts. "There is no way in hell that Lydia said that."

Boyd's eyes squint in thought. "Okay, well, maybe we need to think about how we can get Meredith to contact Lydia." He notices Ophelia still bristling and adds, "You know, that way we could confirm if she wants to be found."

She relaxes slightly at the idea and nods. "Okay, yeah."

As the minutes pass, Stiles is getting increasingly aggravated by the violent suggestions that both Ophelia and Isaac throw out. "Look, I'm just saying-"

"Isaac," Stiles interjects, holding a hand up. "We are not going to torture her."

"Actually, we meant scare her," Ophelia corrects.

Boyd places his head in his hands.

Stiles' eye twitches. "We're not going to psychologically torture her either."

She throws her hands up in the air. "Fine! Your problem, this could be done much faster if we did that."

"Okay, how about this," Isaac begins. He looks between Stiles and Ophelia. "You said she hears things, right?" They both nod. "Doesn't that mean she's like Lydia?"

While they stare blankly back at Isaac, Boyd sighs in exasperation. "A banshee?" he reminds.

They hurry back into the bedroom and Stiles knees down in front of Meredith, trying to speak his next words calmly and patiently. "Okay, focus on the sounds around you, or what you're hearing."

Ophelia nods. "Yeah, just focus on the silence."

"Listen to the silence," Isaac adds.

"Focusing on the silence," Boyd says.

Ophelia tries to smile at the girl. "Listening to the-"

"Okay!" Stiles interrupts. "Will you just let me handle this? Please? I just... I have more experiences with banshees."

Whilst the two boys sigh in defeat, his best friend stares at him in disbelief. "Excuse me?" she says loudly. "You have more experience?"

"Well, actually-"

Meredith is the one to interrupt their bickering. "Isn't anyone going to get that?" she questions.

The group share a look then turn back to her. "Get what?" Stiles queries in confusion.

"The phone," Meredith replies.

Ophelia shakes her head. "What? What phone?"

All three boys turn to her, gesturing wildly as if the answer is obvious. "The phone," they chorus together.

She stares at them blankly for a few seconds before her face falls in realisation. "Oh! My phone! Yeah, of course, sorry." She pulls the device out of her pocket and humours Meredith by pretending to answer it. "Uh, hi? Oh, yes, she's actually sitting right here!" Ophelia holds the phone out. "It's for you."

Meredith takes it with a smile and places it up to her ear, listening intensely for a few moments before handing it back. "They say, 'Coup de foudre.'"

"'Coup de' what?" Stiles' head tilts. "'Coup de...' What is that Spanish?" Isaac and Boyd shrug cluelessly.

Ophelia's eyes light up. "Hey, yeah, I think it is!"

"French." They all spin around to find Scott in the doorway. "It's French," the True Alpha repeats. He watches his best friends' faces fall in disappointment, but he has to smile at what he's just discovered. "I know where they are."

Ten minutes later, Ophelia stares out the window of the blue Jeep, engrossed in her mass of anxious and paranoid thoughts. As they travel toward Oak Creek where Scott had realised Lydia is being held, the hybrid finds it impossible to ignore the guilt. Despite her friends reassuring her multiple times that she has nothing to feel responsible for, she can't help but feel the emotion for past events and if anything else was to happen.

Stiles glances to her in the rear-view mirror and his brows draw together in worry, but instead of asking her if she's okay, because he knows she isn't and definitely doesn't want to talk about it, he looks to Scott next to him in the front. "Hey, dude, you okay?"

The werewolf quickly nods. "Yeah, you don't have to worry about me. You good?"

Before Stiles can reply, Isaac ignores the warning jab to the ribs Boyd gives him and turns to the girl seated beside him. "Okay, I'm just gonna say it because I'm not the only one thinking it," he begins. "You look like you're dying." Ophelia stares at him whilst the boys in the front widen their eyes at the bluntness of the statement. "You're pale, thin, and you look like you're getting worse. I mean, when we find the other you... is she gonna look like she's getting any better?"

"I think what he means is, what happens is she gets hurt?" Boyd says, his voice quiet with concern.

Ophelia leans her head against the window. "Like, if she dies, do I?" The silence she receives is all the response she needs. "I really don't care," she answers honestly. Scott, Stiles, Boyd, and Isaac share a brief look of shock. "No, really, I don't. If it means no one else dies because of me, I don't care." She takes a deep breath, trying to avoid the eyes on her. "I know you said it's not my fault..." She meets Stiles' gaze. "But you remember what you did. I do, too."

"But it wasn't you," Scott insists. "It wasn't either of you."

She nods. "Yeah, it wasn't. But I still remember it." And as much as Stiles says that he's gradually moving past it, she knows that he's just as traumatised and guilt stricken as she is. "And you all have to promise me something." Ophelia doesn't give them a chance to respond. "You can't let anyone get hurt because of me. Not anyone else."

⋆｡ ﾟ☁︎｡ ⋆｡ ﾟ☾ ﾟ｡ ⋆

Mascara-stained tears streak down Lydia's cheeks as she tries her best to keep fear at bay, but it's little to no use. The nogitsune can sense it. However, as she suddenly has an epiphany, that fear lessens. "You're nervous, aren't you?" she says hoarsely. Ophelia's dull eyes flick down to her. "You know they're coming. You know they're going to kill you," she sing-songs.

The blonde-haired girl places a hand on the wall behind Lydia, caging her in from moving any further. She leans closer until her lips graze the banshee's ear, whispering, "That's exactly why I'm keeping you so close." As a shiver runs down her spine, a petrified Lydia tries to move away as best as she can.

Right outside Oak Creek, the Jeep finally skids to a stop and the group jumps out to meet Allison and Kira waiting for them, each with their own weapons. The kitsune has her katana, whilst the huntress has her bow and quiver strapped to her back. Allison's eyes widen as she finally meets Ophelia's gaze and she rushes over to the girl, quickly engulfing her into a hug. Ophelia Stone's blinks in shock and she awkwardly pats the brunette's back, stunned at the sudden physical display of affection. "I'm glad you're okay," Allison whispers.

And she can't help but let a smile grace her face as she finally relaxes and wraps her arms around the taller girl. "Thank you," she says softly.

The group of teens huddle together outside the gate, looking around the dark area with unease. "We've done this before, guys," Scott begins, trying to be the confident voice as usual. "A couple weeks ago, we were standing just like this and we saved Malia. Remember? That was a total stranger. This is Lydia."

"I'm here to save my sister," Ophelia speaks firmly.

Scott and Stiles share a look with each other, then their eyes flick over to her. "We came to save ours," Stiles says.

Isaac shrugs. "I just didn't feel like doing any homework."

As he walks off, Boyd deadpans, "I'm the only one that can fight." Allison, Ophelia, and Scott share a look of disbelief, whilst Stiles and Kira laugh as they follow the werewolves through the black iron gate.

Instead of going to meet Noshiko and her oni, Ophelia and her boys split from the group in order to find Lydia. With supernatural senses aiding their hunt, Scott suddenly stops running through the corridors. "She's this way," he concludes, directing his friends through the endless labyrinth of tunnels.

Lydia tries not to wince as the nogitsune roughly takes her arm and pulls her through to the previously locked courtyard, slamming the gate shut behind them. As she watches Ophelia's eyes flick around the space, almost nervously, she can't help but smile slightly. "They're here," she says softly. "And I don't need to scream to know that they're going to kill you."

"Good," the dark spirit states far too casually. "Because that's exactly why I brought you. I needed to know when they'd be close enough." Lydia's eyes widen in horror as Ophelia pulls a kaiken out of her pocket: the tail used to control the oni. "When my own death was closing in." As the final word leaves her lips, clouds of black smoke materialise around them, the five oni suddenly surrounding the pair. In a panic, Lydia immediately backs away as far as she can, her back pressed up against the stone wall as the oni draw their ninjatōs. She watches Ophelia grin and hold up the tail. "'Cause only when they're close, can I do this..."

The oni quickly advance toward the nogitsune, but the split-second before their swords can pierce through her body, the kaiken is snapped in half. Then they all disappear. It's just Lydia alone. As she looks around the courtyard, her heart pounds within her chest and suddenly her lungs are constricted by an icy grip. Something feels exceptionally wrong. But she doesn't know why. It's not long before she hears the pounding of footsteps approaching her and she rushes over to the gate.

Ophelia races over, her eyes instantly flicking down the banshee's body to look for injuries. "Hey, are you all right? Are you okay?"

"No," Lydia whispers. Scott wrenches the gate open and she stares at her friends in terror. "No, no, no. Why are you here?"

Stiles' eyebrows draw together. "Lydia, we came for you," he says slowly.

"No! You weren't supposed to be here," she continues, clearly distraught by their presence. Ophelia watches her in immense confusion and concern. "You didn't get my message?"

"Lydia, what's happening?" Scott presses.

A tear drops out of the banshee's eye. "Who else is here?" Her voice raises as she asks, "Who came with you? Who else is here?"

The four teenagers whirl around and run through the tunnels back the way they had came from. Ophelia struggles to catch her breath and she stumbles forward. Laboured breaths leave her chapped lips as Lydia immediately wraps an arm around her waist to support her. "Who is it?" Ophelia asks hurriedly, watching Scott and Stiles' figures begin to disappear up ahead. "Who's going to die?"

Lydia opens her mouth, then closes it, trying to provide an answer. A few seconds later, her eyes widen in horror. "Allison," she says faintly.

Ophelia Stone breaks away from her friend with a burst of adrenaline and tries desperately to run with enhanced speed after Scott and Stiles because she simply has to save her. She can't have someone else die. Especially not this someone. Once upon a time, Allison Argent had been someone Ophelia wanted to violently murder. Now, she can't even begin to stomach the thought of the girl not being with them all. She has to try. If she's breathing and conscious, no matter how much pain she's in, she has to try. She owes it not just to everyone, but specifically Allison. She owes it to Allison.

But she only gets a few metres down the corridor before she lets out a pained gasp, her hands darting out to stabilise herself on the wall beside her. It's not long before she coughs, her severely weakened body finally getting to her lungs. Lydia's face falls as she catches up to her best friend, more than alarmed by the blood spattered on the ground. "I have to go," Ophelia rasps. "I have to go help her. I have to- I have to go save her."

And because Lydia is just as terrified by the thought of Allison dying, she helps the girl beside her hobble down the hallway as quickly as they can. However, a few seconds later, Ophelia collapses again. This time, though, she doesn't get back up. Lydia falls to the ground beside her, catching her frail body in her arms. And as her knees hit the floor, a soul-shattering scream leaves her lips.

"Allison!"

Tears stream down Lydia's cheeks as a choked sob leaves her mouth, her head dropping onto Ophelia's shoulder as she comes to realise exactly what is happening outside. She doesn't know how long passes before footsteps slam against the paving, Stiles racing toward them with a disturbed expression etched onto his face. Without a second thought, he drops beside Ophelia and takes her hand whilst pulling her lip back to prick her finger against the sharp canine. As Stiles touches her blood to his own finger, he locks eyes with Lydia who nods, prompting him to sprint his heart out back to Allison quickly deteriorating in Scott's arms.

But by the time he returns, he's too late.

Allison Argent has taken her final breath.

From the very beginning, she had been marked as fated to die. However, unlike what had been thought, it's not by Ophelia Stone's hands. Allison would never know, but the girl who had once wanted her dead had tried everything possible in her power to avoid her heart stopping. In the end, it just wasn't enough.

𝘚𝘰 𝘢𝘴 𝘮𝘶𝘤𝘩 𝘢𝘴 𝘐 𝘸𝘢𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘬𝘦𝘦𝘱 𝘈𝘭𝘭𝘪 𝘢𝘭𝘪𝘷𝘦... 𝘐 𝘧𝘦𝘦𝘭 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘥𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘩 𝘪𝘴 𝘷𝘪𝘵𝘢𝘭 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘺. 𝘐𝘵 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 𝘴𝘩𝘰𝘸𝘴 𝘩𝘰𝘸 𝘮𝘶𝘤𝘩 𝘖𝘱𝘩𝘦𝘭𝘪𝘢 𝘩𝘢𝘴 𝘨𝘳𝘰𝘸𝘯 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘪𝘵'𝘴 𝘥𝘦𝘧𝘪𝘯𝘪𝘵𝘦𝘭𝘺 𝘨𝘰𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘰 𝘣𝘦 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘩𝘢𝘶𝘯𝘵𝘴 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘢 𝘭𝘰𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘦. 𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦'𝘴 𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘱𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘭𝘦𝘧𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘴𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘰𝘯 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘐'𝘮 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘴𝘰 𝘮𝘶𝘤𝘩 𝘧𝘶𝘯 𝘩𝘦𝘩𝘦