Alone • Liam Dunbar

Fourteen

"Do you have to look at pictures of a dead body while we eat?"

Kira glared at Stiles from across the table as we sat in the courtyard during lunch, the older boy holding up crime scene photos of a girl who had been murdered this weekend, another name on the Dead Pool. She had been stabbed numerous times and had her hand cut off, the injury having similar patterns to Demarco's head which meant our assassin had struck again.

"I'm sorry, is me trying to solve a literal murder bothering you?" Stiles bit back as he held one of the images up to the sun above us, people who passed behind him cringing at the disturbing picture.

I slapped Stiles' shoulder and made him put the photos down, much to Kira's delight.

"I don't see the problem." Malia shrugged and stuffed another meatball off her plate into her mouth, unbothered by the pictures of a young woman's body scattered across the surface of our table.

The weekend after the full moon was utterly chaotic.

We spent most of the time trying to piece together everything that was going on into one coherent story so he could explain everything to the sheriff. We had to connect with how the Hale vault robbery fit into the Dead Pool, how potential assassins were going to be able to access the code, and how many more possible names would fit into the next two codes.

Eventually, we figured out the connections with the Benefactor orchestrating the robbery and manipulating Kate, and that they were now orchestrating the transference of funds for every supernatural assassination in town. Another person from the list was found, and it was just in time for Scott, Stiles, and I to take our information to the sheriff to cross them with his own findings.

The sheriff allowed Stiles to "look" at the case file for the girl who had been murdered which of course meant he photocopied it and decided to have his own set of the information. I didn't make fun of him for it though because it was a solid idea, and after days of not getting any actual sleep, I couldn't be bothered to argue.

"Can knife hilts do that?" Stiles shoved one of the pictures in my face making me sit up since I was leaning heavily against the table. I sighed and took the image in my hands to examine it, an eager Stiles watching me.

"Nothing that I've seen. Hilts aren't sharp enough to leave that kind of impression, even if they had werewolf strength." I point to the hexagonal shape around the stab wounds on the paper before handing it back to a disappointed Stiles.

He studied the picture for a second and then turned it back to me. "Is there any kind of creature that has a mouth shaped like this? Maybe it's like some kind of were-mosquito?"

I openly gaped at him, too drained to do anything else or come up with some comment about how he was a dumbass.

"Stiles," Kira reached out to force his hand down. "I think Jac needs a break."

Realization dawned on him and Stiles apologetically put the pictures back into their file folder. "I'll just look at those when I'm in class. Coach won't mind."

"I should go, I have to help Lydia paint so she can hear dead people." Malia swallowed the food she had stuffed into her mouth effortlessly before getting up, Stiles pressing a kiss to the side of her head.

Stiles started to pack up as well as Kira, both of them having to go to their next period with Coach who wouldn't allow any members of the lacrosse team to be absent the day of a scrimmage or game.

"We'll see you tonight, right?" Stiles asked in reference to tonight's match as he got up, Kira rounding the table to stand beside him.

"Yeah, go Cyclones!" I cheered without enthusiasm which made them smile as they walked away from me.