A World In Need

Chapter Seventeen

Jackson's POV

Something was definitely wrong with Stiles. I know for a fact that he doesn't have a drinking problem so I'm not sure exactly why he was wearing sunglasses. That was something I would have to figure out.

He probably also doesn't think I'm onto him either. He probably thinks that I let it go last night with him pushing past me, but I didn't. It just made me worry about him even more than I already was before. Well either that or he's super paranoid about all of this and he's sitting in his room freaking out like he always does when he gets nervous.

"Should one of us go check on him?" Liam asked, barely beating me to it.

Allison just shook her head and walked towards the stairs.

"I'd just leave him alone. I have no idea what's wrong with him, but we'll ask him in the morning. I'm heading to bed. Goodnight."

Hold on. Wait a second. Does she know something about this?

Now I'm super confused.

The only person who doesn't look suspicious right now is Lydia, but that might make her the most suspicious in theory. She's smart enough to not give herself away, but she's also just dumb enough to slip up and give herself away.

Ugh. This is hard, and I know I'm not smart, but I'm not exactly stupid either, so this shouldn't be that hard. It shouldn't be that hard to tell which of my best friends are lying to me.

....

Allison's POV

Something was definitely up with Stiles, and I have a feeling that it has something to do with what happened earlier in the fight.

He used his magic even though he knew what it might do to him. He could be really drained right now, and he probably just needs to sleep it off.

I have no doubt that he'll be back to normal in the morning.

....

Boy was I wrong.

He's completely different, like from yesterday, he seems like an entirely different person. Definitely more confident, arguing with himself more than usual, and ignores mostly everything we say when we're around him.

It better not get worse than this.

"Stiles can you please take your feet off the coffee table? I just cleaned it." Lydia asked him nicely as he just sat there with his sunglasses on, barely paying attention to her.

"Stiles," she tried again, but this time, definitely more agressive than the last,"take your feet of the table. I just cleaned it."

He tilted his sunglasses down a little bit before putting them back up not even a second later.

"Sorry I was just trying to see why you thought I cared."

Oh crap.

He did not just go against Lydia.

Okay he's actually going to die. She is going to kill him.

"It's been nice knowing you Stiles. Have fun in the afterlife."

He really didn't seem like he cared at all about what we were saying.

"You know what. Whatever. I'm going out." With that he stood up and walked towards the elevator.

"Excuse me. Where do you think you're going?" This time it was me asking as I stepped in front of the elevator.

He seemed absolutely annoyed, but this was starting to get concerning to the point where I didn't know if he was just in a bad mood? Or maybe the monster from yesterday hit him with something?

I wasn't sure, and I'm not sure if I wanted to he sure at all.

"I said I was going out, and last time I checked, you weren't my mother, so get out of my way."

Why was he so angry? Did one of us do something? Did Master Gaylor do something? Did Sophia dump him?

All of these were very valid reasons for him to be acting like this, but none of us deserved to be treated like that.

"Stiles are you okay?"

My face shifted from the angry face I was sporting to a very concerned one. I couldn't keep myself from being worried about him right now.

"Yup I'm okay. I'm better than I've been in a long time actually." His voice hadn't changed, but he was acting like he was drunk.

He didn't smell like alcohol though, so I couldn't confirm that he was under the influence at the moment.

"Hey, if something is wrong...please let us help you. We care about you."

Then he actually laughed. Like actually laughed.

"Don't act like you care. If you cared then you would've checked up on me after I literally used magic that could take me over to beat a monster because Isaac froze."

I froze, and I could see Lydia frozen too.

Stiles had just revealed us to Lydia.

"Oh yeah I forgot. Gaylor didn't want us to say anything about that. Guess he'll just have another reason to hate me."

He did a weird salute thing and moved past me to the elevator.

How had I not realized it?

Stiles has gone full on magic crazy after he got a taste of it.

He's addicted, and we all know what the magic does to him.

It makes him into someone that he's not. Someone that he doesn't want to be, and someone that wants nothing other than for everyone who has ever....

Oh no.

"Lydia, Stiles is going after Scott and the others."

I looked up to see her reaction to what I had just said, but instead I just saw her with her mouth dropped open.

I walked up to her and waved my hand in front of her face to try and get her to snap out of it, but she was completely slack jawed.

"Lydia? Lydia are you okay? You're really zoned out and I'm honestly kind of worried that you might be frozen right now, so if you could just give me a sign that you're not frozen that would be great."

She just looked at me before throwing her hands up and yelling.

"YOU WERE THE ONES FIGHTING THE MONSTERS!!!!"