Vitality

iv.

Adele was pulled from her focus by the sound of Scott's howl. "If the Nogitsune didn't know Scott was still alive, he does now." Adele looked at Jackson and Lydia as they stood outside of the mountain ash boundary around the lacrosse stadium. "It's happening now, the mountain ash is more than a barrier. It's a gateway between his world and ours." Lydia looked down at the ash near her feet. "Isn't it just ash?" Jackson brushed off Lydia's statement, kicking the ash. "Parrish has to break the barrier, he's the only one that can do it." Lydia shook her head as the ash moved back in place. "He better get here soon, I can smell Maggie and Eli." Adele informed the group as her children's scents hit her nose.

"Adele." Lydia stared past the girl, a hooded figure appearing. The dark figure walked forward, pulling off its hood to reveal Mr. Harris. "It's him, it's really him." Lydia looked at the man approaching. "Him? Him who?" Jackson looked at Lydia confused. "Adrian Harris." Adele narrowed her eyes at the man who stalked forward into the light with a gun. "He kind of looks like our chemistry teacher." Jackson looked at the man oblivious. "I was your chemistry teacher, Jackson, you fucking imbecilic!" Harris spat bitterly toward the male Whittemore, shooting the werewolf in the stomach. "Woah." Jackson dropped in pain, Adele grabbing him before he fell to the ground. Lydia quickly put her hands up, preparing to attack.

"Do it, scream Lydia, scream like a banshee." Harris kept his gun trained on the banshee as he mocked her. "Oh, oh that's right. You haven't screamed in years, have you?" Harris smirked at the strawberry blonde. "What do you want from us?" Adele helped Jackson stand up. "Well, I don't want an apology, seeing as you ruined my life and served me up as a human sacrifice to some demented druid." Harris spits out bitterly. "I was in London for all of that." Jackson defended himself, still groaning in pain. Jackson's words only angered Harris more as he shot the werewolf again. "Would you stop shooting him? It is not our fault that our English teacher was a psycho!" Adele was angry with the man, but couldn't win against his gun.

"Come take a look girls." Harris grabbed both women, his gun against Adele's temple, guiding them toward the field. "This illusion has several layers. Here, let me show you one of them." Harris showed the woman the lacrosse game. "You want us to watch a lacrosse game?" Adele's anger was growing. "No, I want you to watch your family die." Harris glared at the blonde as he nodded toward Eli on the field. "Come on, take a look through the microscope." Harris triggered the flip in dimensions, showing Derek tied up and surrounded by the Oni. "I knew the Nogitsune was just too chaotic to play this game on his own. He didn't need me to help him win, all I had to do was give him my pain. Thanks to you and Scott McCall, I have plenty." Harris shot Adele in the stomach.

The blonde groaned as her legs gave out from the pain. "We all have pain." Adele glared up at the dead chemistry teacher. "But Lydia's pain is particularly appealing to a thousand-year old-demon." Harris kept his eyes trained on the banshee. "My pain isn't anything to him." Lydia shook her head in denial. "On the contrary, heartbreak is a veritable delicacy to the Nogitsune. So, give him a taste Lydia. Tell us why you lost Stiles. Give us your pain or the next time I shoot her in the head." Harris moved over to stand behind Adele. Adele's eyes widened, but not from the man's threat. Maggie Hale had made her way across the scene, the small blonde staring at her mother in horror as she hid behind a concrete pole.

"No, don't do it. Don't do it." Adele argued, but her words weren't actually directed at Lydia. "I left, I left because of a dream." Lydia saw Maggie as well, turning her body to cover Harris' sight of the child. "What happened in the dream?" Harris egged the banshee on. "My eyes open and I see broken glass. It's from a windshield and I'm crawling on the pavement, I'm trying to reach Stiles." Lydia was vividly remembering her dream. "There was a crash, we've been thrown from the car, except he's not moving. He wasn't blinking, he wasn't breathing." tears began to flow down Lydia's cheek. "Lydia, it was a dream." Jackson tried to comfort the strawberry blonde. "Until it happened again, and again. It becomes this recurring dream until I can't tell anymore if it's a dream-" Lydia's voice turned to anger.