Different

Chapter 8: Restraining Order

"If Jackson doesn't remember being the kanima, he's definitely not gonna remember stealing Danny's tablet." Scott said as we were standing outside of the van again.

"Why would he steal the thing if he doesn't even know what's on it?" Stiles asked.

"What if someone else took it?" I replied.

"Then somebody else knows what he is."

"Which could mean someone's protecting him." Scott added as he looked at us.

"Like the bestiary says, 'the kanima seeks a friend', right?" Allison said.

"Okay, hold on. So, somebody watches Jackson make a video of himself turning into a kanima, and then just erases part of it so he wouldn't know? I mean, who would do that?" Stiles explained.

"Somebody who wanted to protect him?" I said in a questioning tone.

"There was something else. You said the only thing you found online about the kanima is that it goes after murderers. What if it's actually true?" Scott asked as he looked at my brother.

"Well, no, it can't be. Tried to kill all of us, remember? I don't know about you three, but I haven't murdered anybody lately." Stiles laughed.

"But I- I don't think that it was actually trying to kill us. Remember when we were at Isaac's the first time, it just went right by us, didn't it?" Scott said to Allison.

"You're right, it just ran off." Allison answered.

"And it didn't kill you at the mechanic's garage." I asked, looking at my brother.

"Well, yeah, but it tried to kill me and Derek in the pool, he even attacked Steph."

"Did it?" Scott asked.

"Well, it never actually hurt me much... It just tried to get away from me." I replied.

"It would've killed Derek and I. It was waiting for us to come out." Stiles added with crossed arms.

"What if it was trying to keep you in?" Scott said.

"Why do I feel so violated all of a sudden?"

"Because there's something else going on. We don't know what it is. We don't know anything about what's going on with Jackson, or why someone's protecting him." I explained.

"'Know thy enemy'... Just something my grandfather said." Allison said.

"All right, I got it. Kill Jackson. Problem solved." Stiles said, annoyed.

"He risked his life for us. Against Peter, you remember that?" Scott asked.

"Yes, but what did we just find out? He got the bite from Derek. It's funny how he just got exactly what he wanted by supposedly risking his life for us, it's funny." Stiles explained.

"Yeah, it doesn't mean he's not still worth saving." I continued as I looked at him.

"It's always something with him, though."

"He doesn't know what he's doing."

"So what?"

"So, we didn't either. You remember when I almost killed Allison and Jackson? We have someone to stop us. He has nobody." Scott interrupted.

"That's his own fault." Stiles said as he directed his eyes to the van.

"Doesn't matter. If we can save him, we should try."

***

I went home with Stiles as he wanted to apologize to Lydia. He, apparently, was talking with her before he went in the pools as he told her he'd be back, he of course couldn't as he was being kept in the pool by a Kanima. I sat in his jeep as I waited for his to return. He quickly did as he started the car and started to drive as we needed to go back to the van.