North Starr

27

Lydia sent Melanie a text to meet her at the school swimming pool.

Melanie made her way to the school, as it wasn't too far away, and walked to the pool.

When she got there, Lydia was hovering over a dummy. Melanie looked around, then up at the chair just as Lydia screamed.

"Lydia!" Melanie called, catching her attention. "What are you doing here?"

She shrugged. "I don't know. I was on my way to the store to get ibuprofen for a headache and I ended up here. There's a dead body, Melanie."

"It's all right. Call the sheriff's station while I call Stiles. He can help."

She nodded and called the station. As soon as Stiles arrived, he asked, "Lydia? Melanie? Are you okay?"

Lydia glanced to Melanie. "I'm okay. Melanie's okay. That, over there..." she pointed to a lifeless boy in the lifeguard chair, "Not okay."

Stiles nodded. "Yeah, all right. I'm gonna call my dad."

"I already called 911," Lydia replied.

Stiles frowned. "You called the police before you called me?"

"I'm supposed to call you first when I find a dead body?"

"Yes!"

Melanie glanced Stiles. "I called you while she called 911."

Stiles called Scott and relayed the information. He said after a moment, "Yep. Throat ripped out, blood everywhere. It's like the frickin' Shining over here. Two little twin girls come out of the woods, start askin' me to play with them forever and ever, I'm not gonna be surprised."

"Make sure it was them? Scott, who else is going around ripping throats out?"

Stiles hung up and Melanie asked, "The werewolves?"

He nodded. "Boyd and Cora. That's what Scott is thinking."

Melanie frowned. "No, Cora wouldn't do this."

"Melanie, you haven't seen your sister for years."

"She wouldn't do this." She turned to Lydia. "You want some company tonight?"

Lydia nodded. "That'd be great."

The police arrived and escorted Lydia home. Stiles insisted on following them. When they got inside, Lydia said, "I had a police escort, and I've got Melanie with me."

Stiles shot her an innocent look. "I know the inner workings of that force, all right? They're not as reliable as people think."

Melanie crossed her arms. "As do I, and you didn't have to follow me and Lydia to her house."

Lydia frowned. "Well, you also didn't have to follow us into my room."

Stiles glanced around the room. "Well, I... uh, yeah, I don't have an answer for that. I can leave."

Melanie crossed her arms. "What, Stiles? You look like you're dying to ask something."

Stiles shook his head. "Well, I'm not... I haven't been dying to ask anything. I... no questions here for Stiles. Nothing."

Lydia narrowed her eyes. "Melanie and I can see it on your face."

He shrugged. "Maybe my face just has, like, a naturally interrogatory exp... expression."

Melanie shook her head and deadpanned, "No. It doesn't."

Lydia nodded. "The answer is, I have no clue how I ended up finding that body. I didn't even know where I was until I got out of the car."

Stiles frowned. "Yeah, but the last time something like this happened..."

Lydia let out a sigh. "I know. Derek and Melanie's uncle."

"Peter," Melanie realized. "That was you?"

She shrugged. "I didn't know I was doing so."

Stiles turned to Melanie and said, "Melissa needs me at the hospital. Says she has to show me something. I'll call you. Or text you. Or both."

Melanie nodded and Stiles waved goodbye.

When he left, Lydia turned to Melanie. "Did you see how he was looking at you?"

Melanie frowned. "No, how was he looking at me?"

"The doey-eyes. He's so obviously in love with you."

"Yeah right."

"He is. Trust me."

"I don't want to talk about this anymore. Did you take ibuprofen?"

She nodded. "Yeah. My headache is subsiding. Thanks for coming."

"Don't mention it. I just hope my sister and Boyd are okay."

"I'm sure they are."

Lydia and Melanie sat in a comfortable silence and Melanie got a text from Stiles. Tabitha let out a sigh. "Heather, Stiles' friend, is dead."

"I'm sorry, Melanie."

"No, it's fine. I just... I feel bad for Stiles. They grew up together and now she's gone."

"How are you, Melanie? Honestly."

Melanie shrugged. "Decent, I guess." She yawned as she glanced at the clock. "It's late and we have school tomorrow. Goodnight."

A honk outside sounded and Melanie looked out Lydia's window to see Stiles motioning for her to come down. Moments later, her phone buzzed. 'Melanie, I need to show you something'.

Melanie let out a sigh and glanced at her friend. "I'm being summoned. You gonna be all right here?"

Lydia nodded. "I'll be fine. Go on."

Melanie made her way outside and followed Stiles to his Jeep. She climbed into the back since the passenger's seat was taken by her other friend. "You okay?" she asked.

He nodded. "Yeah, I'm good. Sorry to take you from Lydia."

"It's fine."

---

They arrived and Stiles took his friends to the morgue and showed them Heather's body. Melanie noticed a dark line around her throat. Scott glanced up at his friend. "So Boyd and Cora might not have killed anyone?"

Stiles gave him a grim look. "You're gonna wish they did."

Melanie stared at Heather as she asked, "Why?"

Stiles let out a sigh. "I'm not exactly sure yet. The other girl who was out in the woods. Emily? Eventually they're gonna find her. She's one of them. Emily, Heather... That guy Lydia found at the pool. All three were virgins... And they're all gonna have the same three injuries... strangled, throat slashed, head bashed in. It's called the threefold death."

Scott frowned. "So if these aren't random killings, then what are they?"

"Sacrifices. Human sacrifices."

"Oh, god," Melanie mumbled.