inhuman [2] // teen wolf

35. don't come back

They had all met up in the animal clinic after Riley dropped Olivia off at her house. Riley didn't want Olivia to endure any more, and what they were about to do, would definitely crush the poor girl. She had been through enough; she wasn't used to agony. She couldn't go through another death, let alone three.

In a rushed text sent by Stiles as Riley made her way over to animal clinic after the drop off, Allison, Scott and himself will be surrogate sacrifices for their parents, meaning that they would die for them instead, but only for a few seconds. Riley had no idea how it worked, or what was going to happen to them, but she knew that she had to be there for support, especially if Isaac was going to be there. Riley hadn't seen Isaac in a while, and it kind of made her sad that they haven't been spending much of their time together. But she didn't worry too much, she knew that they were still very close. At least, that's what she hoped.

She opened the door to the clinic and went through to the back, seeing three metal tubs lined up with ice and mistletoe filled to the brim of each of them. Oh God, not again, not the ice. At least Isaac wouldn't have to be the one who was going under again. Riley would be the one who couldn't handle seeing him struggle like that.

They were all there; Allison, Scott (has he finally stopped being Deaucalion's bitch?), Stiles, Lydia, Isaac and Deaton.

"Good, we're all here." Deaton announced, nodding to the girl who had just entered. Riley smiled lightly, hugging her arms close to her as she looked Isaac, who was already staring at her. "What did you bring?"

"I brought my dad's badge. Jennifer kind of crushed it in her hand but I tried hammering it out a bit. Still doesn't look good though." Stiles explained, looking down at the beaten and flattened badge in his hands.

"Doesn't need to look good to have meaning." Deaton reassured, and Stiles nodded once. Isaac's eyes drifted over to Allison's hand, where she held a bullet made of silver.

"Is that an actual silver bullet?" He asked, sounding half impressed and half scared.

"My dad made it. It's kind of a ceremonial thing. When one of us finishes learning all the skills to be a hunter, we forge a silver bullet as a testament to the code." She explained, looking up at Isaac, their eyes lingering for a moment. Riley watched the interaction, her eyebrows slightly furrowing at the sudden connection they seemed to hold between them. Since when have they even talked to each other? Last time Riley remembered them ever communicating was when Allison tried to stab him with knives and when Isaac attacked her in the closet. Not much of a connection if you ask Riley.

"Scott?" Deaton pulled Riley out of her thoughts as she pulled her eyes away from the two, settling on Scott's hand that was holding a watch.

"My dad got my mom this watch when she first got hired at the hospital. She used to say it was the only thing in their marriage that ever worked." Scott mumbled, smiling at the memory of his mother. Riley kept leaning on the wall, watching all three surrogates and looking at the ice baths that were going to be their new home for who knows how long.

"Okay, the three of you will get in. Each of us will hold you down until you're essentially... Well, dead. But it's not just someone to hold you under. It needs to be someone who can pull you back, someone that has a strong connection to you, a kind of emotional tether." Deaton explained, and Lydia smiled at Allison and walked over to her, but Deaton quickly interrupted. "Lydia... You go with Stiles."

The two looked at each other, everyone surprised by Deaton's decision.

"Are you sure? I mean, Scott and I both have to go under." Allison argued, but then she slowly looked at Isaac as Deaton's eyes flicked to him. The two looked surprised, maybe even guilty. Allison looked at Scott, who looked like he tried to contain his shock and anger.

"It's okay." He said, but he clearly wasn't. Neither was Riley.

Honestly, where did this newfound friendship come from? Of course she was jealous; her best friend is finding another best friend. Well, it is true that Riley has Olivia, but Olivia isn't a boy. You can't have two girl best friends when you're a boy. Riley just didn't see that happening. She felt funny inside, like she didn't want Isaac to be close with anyone else. She wanted him to herself, and yes, she knew that was selfish, but it was the cold stone truth. She didn't like this new connection, just like Scott, and she hoped it didn't last.

The three walked over to the baths, each standing in front of it with their person behind them. Riley stood back, glad that she didn't have to drown one of her friends until they died. She couldn't handle holding them under the water while they struggled to breathe.

They all slowly climbed in, shivering from the cold and disturbing the water. Riley walked over slowly, leaning on the table against the wall as she watched with immense worry. What if one of them doesn't come back? What if none of them came back and they died for nothing?

"By the way, if I don't make it back and you do, you should probably know something. Your dad's in town." Stiles said to Scott, his teeth chattering from the cold.

And with those final words, the three were plunged under the water.