Noelle||Jordan Parrish

Chapter 17

"Noelle, run!" Stiles yells, trying to fight off Donovan.
My heart pounds wildly, and I wish we could have left when Malia did. I shake my head and pick up the wrench from on top of Stiles' jeep and swing it at Donovan. I hit him in the head, hard, causing him to fall to the ground. "Run!" I yell.
Stiles grabs my hand and pulls me along with him as we run inside. We find ourselves in front of the library. I pull on the doors, but they're locked. Stiles swipes his library card, and we run inside, hiding behind some shelves. He wraps his arms tightly around me, as we try to control out heavy breathing. Tears fall freely down my face, he's here to kill us. The sound of Stiles phone fills the library.
"You dropped your phone, Stiles. It's Malia, should I text her back? Donovan taunts. The sound of the phone then stops,"You don't really know who I am, do you? Maybe you've heard about my father. Did your dad tell you about him? Did Sheriff Stilinski ever tell you guys about the time he was still deputy and his partner got caught in a shoot-out? Did he tell you a bullet shattered my dad's T-9 vertebra? Went right through his spinal cord?  Know what that means? It means that everything below his waist is useless. And not just his legs. I bet he told you some of it. But I bet he probably left out the part where he was sitting in a car calling for backup, while my dad was going in alone. Did he tell you that he was too scared, too much of a frightened little bitch to go in after him? Or do scared little bitches not tell their little bitch sons and daughters about their failures? About how how they put their partner in a wheelchair for the rest of his life."
I move away from Stiles' grasp to see Donovan's feet going up the stairs. We move over a shelf, Stiles gripping my hand tightly.
Suddenly I am pulled from his grasp, as Donovan pulls me through a bookshelf.
I hit Donovan with the wrench and Stiles leads me up the ladder of this construction platform. I follow behind him, hearing Donovan yell from behind me.
I feel a hand on my leg, trying to pull me down. I try to kick it away, but his grip is too strong. I let out a loud scream, as Stiles tries to pull me up.
I look down at Donovan,"Don't worry, Noelle. I'm not going to kill you. I'm just gonna eat your pretty little legs." He says in a distorted voice. He then growls at me, his eyes all white, and his mouth full of sharp fangs, bared at me.
I try to kick him away, looking at Stiles. He pulls out this little pin, causing several metal rods to fall down. The pressure on my leg was removed, and I squeeze my eyes shut, trying to calm myself down. I take a deep breath, opening them, I look down to see that one of the metal rods went through Donovan's chest, there was blood everywhere, and he was coughing up quite a bit too. I slowly climbed down, and Stiles followed. When we both get down the ladder, he wraps his arms around me, both of us breathing heavily. Tears run freely down my face as I don't know if I should feel relived or scared out of my mind, scared for the future.
I pull away, walking slowly over to Donovan, I watch as the life drains from his eyes. Until he takes his last breath, his head tilting back as a silver substance comes out of the gaping wound in his chest, a sight I will never forget.
I turn and see Stiles dialing 911 on the library phone. He doesn't talk, but the officers on the other end send a squad car to the area. Stiles then pulls me out of the library, and to his jeep, as I remain in a state of shock. He quickly fixes his jeep while I slide into the passenger seat. Stiles gets inside, breathing heavily, his hands shake heavily with a layer of blood on them.
Snapping out of my freaked out daze, I put a hand on his shoulder in a comforting manor. "It's gonna be ok."
The sound of a police car siren rings through my ears as I watch Stiles shut off his headlights and back into the spot next to the garbage cans, and shut off the car.
He lets out a few shaky breaths,"I-I killed him.
I turn to him, shaking my head,"No, that was self defense, I could've died and you saved me. Besides, you couldn't have that the pole was going to go through him."
He doesn't responds, however watches as the deputy pulls up, he looks our way, and we quickly duck down so he doesn't see us. When the deputy returns, I expect him to be in a hurry, seeing that he just found the body of a fugitive in the high school library, with a pole thorough his chest, but that wasn't the case. He reaches his hand up to his radio, and Stiles turns on his so he can hear.
"Dispatch, I'm 10-97 and there's no one here. It's a 653."
"Roger that, prank call. Return to your patrol." The woman replies.
Stiles and I look at each other in confusion, how could he have missed it? There's a body in the library and he didn't see it?
Once the once the pickup leaves, we get out to go back into the library, a place that will never be the same to me again. Once we get back into the library, I am shocked to see that it's empty. No body, no blood, its as if nothing had happened. Stiles walks up to a steel pipe, running his pointer finger on it, when he pulls it away, there's blood, not a lot, but enough to show us that this actually happened.
After that we go home, and I follow Stiles into his room, as he sits on his bed. I wander out into our bathroom, remembering Stiles' injured shoulder, and my leg, pulling out the first aid kit. He pulls off his shirt, and I look at his wound, it looks awful. If it was any deeper he would need a lot of stitches. I wipe the blood with one hand, while holding his other hand, as he groans in pain. "I'm sorry, I'm almost done."
Once I wipe off the blood, I let go of his hand and put a layer of gauze followed by a large bandage.
I then turn around and face him,"Hey, I'm gonna go to bed, you should too. Are you planning on going to school tomorrow?
He shakes his head, and I begin to walk away,"Noelle." I hear him say, causing me to turn around and look at him. "Thank you for saving me. I don't know what I would have done without you."
I shoot him a small smile,"I'll always be here to protect you, we protect each other. You saved me too. Donovan dying was not your fault, you saved me. Don't forget that."
He nods in response and I leave the room, going to my own. I go into my bathroom, and start the shower, getting into it. Once I got out, I dried off, and bandaged my leg. I then got dressed in pajamas, and went to bed.
I wake up the next completely exhausted, not wanting to go to school. But I got up anyway knowing that Stiles deserved a day off more than I do, and it would be a bit strange if both of us were missing.
I go into my closet and put on a black tank top dress with mesh lace detailing above and below my boobs, a large grey cardigan that goes down to my knees, and some black heeled boots. I go into my bathroom, curling my hair and putting a bit more makeup on that usual to cover up the fact that I was mentally and physically exhausted.
I sat down on my bed looking at my phone, I had gotten a few texts. One from Malia saying she wanted me to read this book. One from Scott saying that someone has been stealing the bodies of the chimeras, and one from Kira telling me that the thing that happened to her when she fought Tracy, happened again. I reply to all of them, before grabbing my bag, and heading down to the kitchen, remembering my jeep was still at the school.
My Dad was sitting at the kitchen table, looking at a case file with a coffee. He looks up at me and smiles,"Morning kiddo."
I smile back,"Morning Dad, would you mind driving me to school, I rode home with Stiles yesterday."
He frowns,"Where is Stiles?"
"Upstairs," I reply quickly. "He's not feeling well."
"Ok, sure. Just let me grab my keys." He tells me as he stands up.
I make my way through the halls after my Dad drops me off. I stop in front of my locker, grabbing my Bio book out of it.
"There you are, I've been looking all over for you," I hear Malia say from the other side of my locker.
I shut my locker and turn to her,"Sorry I'm a bit late, I had to have my Dad bring me. Lets see this thing."
She nods and pulls out a huge stack of white papers, which I'm assuming is a copy of it.
I take it out of her hands, looking down at it, she thinks it relevant to the things that killed Tracy, fortunately I haven't encountered them yet. "The Dread Doctors by T.R. McCammon. Has anyone read this yet?" I ask.
"Just me. And I didn't understand any of it, so I thought why not make Noelle read it,"she replies with a hopeful smile.
I shoot her one back,"I'll start it as soon as I can. We should probably all read it."
"Kira's working on that." Malia replies.
The first bell rings, signaling class was starting soon,"I'll see you later."
My classes go by fairly quickly and I've been reading this dread doctors book whenever I was free, and I was now about halfway done. I decide to head to the station, I haven't seen Jordan since yesterday morning, and honestly, I miss him.
I get into my jeep and go and pick us up some food, and then go to the station. I park and head inside with my copy of The Dread Doctors and our food. My eyes scan the area, trying to find him, and I spot him, walking over to me with a couple files at hand. A smile grows on his face as he sees me, walking up to me.
I wrap my arms around him, smiling into his shirt. "I missed you."
He wraps his arms around me, kissing the top of my head,"We just each other yesterday, but I missed you too."
I pull away and hold up the bag of takeout,"I come bearing gifts."
He smiles,"That sounds a lot better than vending machine food."
He leads us to his desk, and I sit beside him, setting up our food.
After we eat, I just sit there and read as Jordan does his paperwork. Having him there beside me, even if we don't talk, is better than not getting to see him at all. Just being there by his side, knowing he's there, brings me peace from my hectic life.
Just as I'm reading the last page of the book, which was just as confusing as Malia said it would be, my phone rings. I pull it out and look who it is, Scott.
"Hey Scott."
"Hey, do you have your copy of The Dread Doctors?" He asks.
"Yeah, why."
"Look at the dedication page," he instructs me.
I look down at the book, my eyes widen when I see the name, Dr. Gabriel Valack, the guy from Eichen house with a third eye.
I let out a groan,"Not this guy."
"We're meeting at Eichen house to meet him in an hour, do you want me to tell Stiles to pick you up?" He asks.
I shake my head,"No, I'm at the station with Jordan right now, I'll just meet you there."
I heard a chuckle from the other end,"Sounds good, make sure lover boy keeps his hands to himself."
I roll my eyes,"Bye Scott."
I hang up and put my phone onto the desk, and looked up to see Jordan looking at me with a curious look on his face. "What are you guys up to?"
"Well, Malia saw these ancient robot looking things kill Tracy, and then last night, they killed another. Malia seems to think this book, called The Dread Doctors, is an explanation on what's happening here. We have to go visit this guy in Eichen house." I explain, even though it hasn't been that long since I've last seen him, it feels like so many things have happened, and so much time has passed.
He looks at me in concern,"Be careful, El. I don't want a repeat of the last time we were there."
"I'll be fine. I'd better get going," I tell him, but the worried look stays on his face. I lean over and take his head in my hands,"I'll be careful, I promise." I peck him on the lips,"Love you."
He smiles,"I love you too."
I grab my stuff and reluctantly head out of the station, I definitely didn't want to leave to go to the place where nothing ever goes right. I get into my jeep, and head to Eichen.
As I walk up to the front gate, nerves fill in my chest, the unpleasant memories of being here filling my mind.
"Are you guys going to be ok in there?" Scott asks Stiles and I, as Kira and Lydia try and get us in.
"Yeah, why?" Stiles asks.
"You guys just seem a little off, especially you Stiles." Scott admits.
"I think we're all a little off," Stiles replies.
"Some of us more than others," Scott adds, looking back at Kira.
"Wait, what happened?" I ask, frowning in confusion.
"Well, when the other Chimera, Lucas, when he came after us, I heard Kira say something in Japanese." Scott starts.
"That doesn't sound too bad," I interrupt.
"She doesn't know any Japanese. I also think I might have stopped her from killing Lucas." Scott adds hesitantly, making my heart drop in my chest as I think about what happened not even 24 hours ago.
"Wasn't he trying to kill you though? I mean, that just sounds like self-defense." Stiles says nervously.
"It was more than that. I mean, she nearly took off his head," Scott adds.
"Maybe she had no choice. There's got to be a point where self-defense is justified. Tracy killed her own father. And Lucas would have killed you," Stiles tells him, but it sounds like he's trying to reassure himself.
"They're not the bad guys. They're the victims. We shouldn't be killing the people we're trying to save." Scott tells him, causing him to look at the ground, guilt clear across his face.
Just then the door opened with the sound of a buzzer, causing us to turn around. We head through the gloomy gates up the steps, fear growing in my chest.
"Please empty your pockets into the container." The man at the front desk tells us.
"We're here to see-"
"Please empty your pockets into the container," he repeats, interrupting Scott.
I sigh and put my phone in there, as everyone else begins to empty their pockets as well.
"Please remove your belt and place it into the container," he tells Kira, looking at her sword belt.
"I kind of need the belt. I mean, it's crucial to the outfit." Kira argues hesitantly.
"Please remove your belt, which patients will attempt to take from you and use to strangle either themselves or others." The man continues in the same monotone voice, scaring Kira enough to quickly take off her belt and put it in with the rest of our stuff.
A door open across the room to reveal an older man with a white mustache, he tells us to follow him. "I'll remind you that I'm only doing this as a favor to Deaton. I'm doing it against my better judgement." He tells us as we twist down this long, scary staircase.
"Hey, what's the etiquette for taking to this guy? I mean, do you ever look at the other eye?" Stiles asks, following closely behind the man.
"I wouldn't. In fact, while you're down here, try not to make eye contact with anyone or anything." He tells us, causing my head to beat a little bit faster. I look around at the wall of the building, they have a haunting vibe about them, as if they hold many dark secrets.
We arrive at a door, and I frown in confusion, when I look back and see Kira and Scott, standing there as if they were unable to move.
"You didn't think you were all going, did you?" The man says, looking at Scott and Kira.
"It's Mountain Ash, isn't it?" Scott asks.
"Everywhere, but heavily concentrated down here." He says while swiping his card through the lock, and pushing the door open. "Valack's cell is the last one at the end of the hall."
We look back at Scott and Kira hesitantly,"We'll be right here." Scott assures us.
I nod and lead the way through the door, entering another hallway. It's cold and wet, and something tells me these patients don't get a lot of visitors. We turn the corner and the patients come into view. They're definitely all supernatural, some of them starting with their dark twisted eyes. We walk over to the wall of glass that was holding Valack. He was currently meditating, a white towel wrapped around his forehead where his third eye would be.
"Tell me what you just saw?" He asks, looking up at Stiles.
"Me?"
"The creature in the previous cell, the Sluagh. The myth is that they can take on the appearance of the lost souls that have become inextricably bound to it. Happened to see any lost souls, Mr. Stilinski?" Valack asks, a creepy smile stretching across his face.
Stiles looks a bit taken back, and I know what he saw. "Everyone down here."
"Don't give up on us yet, we're all works-in- progress," he tells him, his British accent clear.
"Where did you hear that from?" Lydia asks.
"Wise words from a former cellmate." He tells us, before standing up and walking towards the glass, until he was right in front of us. "Did you bring the book?" Stiles pulls out the book and holds it up to the glass. "Very nice. First edition. Of course, there was only one printing," Valack adds with a sly smile on his face.
"There's no T.R. McCammon, is there?" I ask. He responds with a no, so I continue,"You wrote the book."
"That's right, Noelle. Maybe you've already guessed that it's not just a book." Valack starts.
"What is it?"
"A tool. Designed to open your eyes." He explains.
"To what?" Stiles asks, frowning in confusion.
"To them. The Dread Doctors." He says in a dramatic tone.
"Why did you use a pseudonym?" Lydia asks.
"I had a professional reputation once. I wasn't interested in ruining it by putting my name on a second-rate piece of trash." He explains, confusing me further.
"Then why write the book in the first place?" Stiles asks, asking the question that had run through my mind.
"You haven't even read it yet, have you?" He asks. After gaining no response, he continues,"I wrote it because no one believed me. Because no one listened. They're here, aren't they. In Beacon Hills." He asks, his tone slightly angry as he talks about the book.
"What are they?" Lydia asks.
"Not entirely human. At least, not anymore. They were scientists once. Scientists who worshipped the supernatural. Tests said,'If you want to find the secrets of the universe, think in terms of energy, frequency, and vibration.' They found their secrets in electromagnetic forces. Ways to prolong their lives, give them power, and most importantly, making you forget you ever saw them."
"What do they want?" Lydia asks.
"A good question, Lydia. Everybody wants something, don't they?" He asks, not really giving us the answer.
"Okay, so, what do you want?" I ask.
He holds up a small recorder, placing in in the tray where we could get it. "Hit record." He says, looking at Lydia.
She looks at him in confusion,"What do you want me to say?"
"I don't want you to say anything. I want you to scream.
Lydia hesitantly takes the recorder. Stiles shakes his head, taking it from her hands. "No way. Not happening, sorry."
Lydia pulls him back from the cell a few feet, so we could talk. "He's the only one that knows anything." She whispers.
"The guy is a nut-job who drilled a hole into his head. He's probably lying his ass off." Stiles argues.
"How many have died so far." He says causing us to turn around. "All of them teenagers. Am I right? Want to know how many died the first time they came here? I wonder how many will die if they succeed?"
The lights begin to flicker, making nerves rise in my chest. "This did happen before." I state in surprise.
"And now they're back. All because a few teenagers who never even considered the consequences, decided to reignite a supernatural force they barely understand." He snaps.
"The Nemeton."
"How did you even know about that?" Stiles asks.
"I know because I saw it." He tells us before ripping off the towel around his head, revealing the quarter sized hole in his head, the eye opening inside, as we look at him in fear.
He looks around at the flickering lights,"Who did you come with?"
"Our friends." I reply.
"What are they?" He asks urgently.
"Don't answer," Stiles tells us.
"You brought a kitsune." He states as the lightbulb behind causing us to jump in surprise. The power goes out, and Lydia lets out a small shriek.
"What's happening?"
"She's disrupting the buildings defenses." Valack replies.
"What do you mean? How?" I ask in shock.
"It's not just the Mountain Ash that keeps this building secure. It's the electromagnetic energy. Eichen is built on the convergence of telluride currents, Ley lines. It's what allows it to keep certain supernatural creatures in. And certain others out." He explains angrily. My heart begins to pound when I hear a small weird sound. "They knew you were coming. They're here. And you unlocked the door for them." Valack explains, and my eyes widen slightly, the Dread Doctors are here.
Suddenly, I feel a jolt of electricity run painfully through my body. I lean onto Stiles, gripping his arm tightly.
"You feel the power of the kitsune, don't you, Noelle." Valack says to me, as the pain goes away.
The sound of the Dread Doctors gets closer, causing Valack to begin to panic. "Hit record. Do it now, it costs you nothing." He says, slamming his hands on the glass window.
"But it's worth something for you, so you're not getting it for free." Stiles argues.
"What does the book do?" Lydia asks firmly.
"Tell us!" Stiles shouts when Valack doesn't reply.
"I told you. It opens your eyes."
"How?"
"It triggers the memory centers of the brain, clearing the fog and brining the images of the Dread Doctors into focus. I wrote the book in an effort to find out if anyone else like me had ever seen them before. I though I could circulate it, an effort to trigger someone... Anyone else's memory. They'd see the cover, a hint of a memory. They pick up the bool, read it. The suppressed memories surface, and they'd find their way to make me discover more . Just like you did." Valack explains murgency clear in his voice.
"Did it work with anyone else?" Stiles asks.
"You didn't see it on The New York Times best seller list, did you." He deadpans.
"So, all we have to do is read the book?" I ask.
"If you've seen them, if they've done something to you, then the book will help you remember. Now give me what I want!" He shouts.
Lydia holds out her palm to Stiles, and he hesitantly places the recorder in it. She screams into it while I plug my ears, trying to block out at least some of the sound. Then the electric shock, runs through me again, and this time it stays. I get flashes of Scott grunting in pain as he carries Kira, who is unconscious and pumping electricity throughout Scott and I's bodies. In the background I see blurring images of the Dread Doctors walking through the door near them.
Lydia places the recorder back in the tray, as I lean into Stiles, the electricity burning my body. "Tell us what they want." Lydia snaps.
"Lydia, I think we need to get out of here, Noelle isn't doing so well." Stiles tells her, as he steadies me.
"They're coming," I grown out, the electric current running through my body is ever present.
"What are they trying to do?" Lydia asks forcefully.
"Read the book. Anyone who's come into contact with them." Valack tells us.
"Lydia, we gotta go. Now." Stiles tells her urgently as he pulls me along with them.
"Read the book!" Valack shouts.
We hide behind this wall, and Stiles lays me against the wall as I clench my teeth in pain. I could hear the sounds of the Dread Doctors, along with Valack's screams. My pain, slowly goes away, telling me Scott got Kira out safely. The sounds from the other room stopped, the only thing I hear, is our heavy breathing.
"I think we're ok." Lydia whispers.
"No it's not okay. All of this, it's on us. Everything that's happened, everything that's gonna happen, it's our fault." Stiles whispers sadly as I stand up from the ground.
"It's our responsibility." I tell them.

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Hey guys, sorry for taking so long to update, I was sick all weekend, then busy the early part of this week. But enough with the excuses. I hope you enjoyed the chapter, although it makes me sad there's not enough Joelle, but more is to come, and I'm super excited to write more! Don't forget to vote and comment telling me how you feel.