Series Rewrite (A Teen Wolf Fanfiction) Continued

Required Reading Part 1

I wasn't sure how I kept ending up in situations where I was stuck with Malia and Stiles, but here I was again, discussing the eight new holes found on the lacrosse field. Sheriff drew a giant X through the picture of Lucas on his investigation board.

"So with the eight new ones and the two dead, that makes 10 in total," I listed. I was getting really into this whole 'investigation' thing that Stiles always liked. Not enough to make a career out of it, though.

Sheriff tacked a black and white mug shot of Donovan up next to Lucas. "I'm thinking maybe 11." I happened to look over to at Stiles, and his eyes instantly looked away from Donovan, his head bowing slightly. When he caught me staring, he shrugged his shoulders at me like he was telling me to stop looking at him.

I frowned and returned to the case.

"Our station tech guys confirmed something for me," Sheriff continued. "They said both the holding cell lock and cameras could have malfunctioned because of something electromagnetic." I remembered how easily the Doctors opened the gate at Eichen House, and realized their gloves were the electromagnetism that was messing with the electronics. That also meant that they came for Donovan, which proved Sheriff's Chimera theory.

Sheriff picked up the Dread Doctor book the I brought. "You said that these guys..."

"Dread Doctors," I said.

He frowned at me with slight embarrassment. "Are we really calling them that?"

"So they broke Donovan out?" Malia asked.

"It's how they got into Eichen, isn't it?"

"Donovan is a Chimera," Malia agreed, walking up to the board. Her and Sheriff turned to look at it, their backs to me and Stiles.

"But, is he a failure like Lucas and Tracy?" Sheriff asked. I glanced at Stiles again, only the glance turned into another stare down.

"Will you stop?" Stiles said suddenly, looking at me with his arms crossed. "I said I'm fine." He turned around, walking to stand in the corner of the room, his head bowed. I groaned quietly. There was seriously something on his mind, and I needed to know it.

"If he is, he's probably dead," Malia responded. She uncapped a red marker and tried to cross out Donovan's face. Sheriff grabbed her wrist, staring at the photo.

"Not until I've seen a body." He turned suddenly, watching me watch Stiles, who was furiously squeezing what looked like a stressball. "You're uncharacteristically quiet."

Stiles turned to see all of us looking at him, and he gulped, his Adam's apple bobbing slightly. There was a little bit of sweat on his head, and his heart was racing. "Sorry, uh... I'm just trying to think about it. Uh..." He walked back next to me, his eyes on Malia and Sheriff. "These were all teenagers, right? So now, shouldn't we be trying to figure out why these teenagers? If the Dread Doctors went through all that—burying them, killing them, breaking one of them out of jail-."

"They couldn't have been random," I agreed, nodding lightly as I tried to think of common grounds. "There was something in common, something that made them right for this experiment."

"Something that made them special," Stiles completed as Malia turned to look at the photos like they had the answers. I wished they did. That would make this much easier. "Let's go do some research."

"Y/N, can I talk to you for a second?" Sheriff asked. "Alone?"

I looked at the two waiting for me by the door. "Yeah, um... You guys go. I'll catch up." Malia nodded, turning to leave, and Stiles gave me a squinty-eyed look of curious suspicion. "Seriously. I'll be right out." Once they were gone, I turned to Sheriff. "What did you want to talk to me about?"

He shrugged his shoulders, his face showing his discomfort. "Have you...noticed anything different about Stiles lately?"

"Why do you ask?"

"I don't know, I just get the feeling there's something more going on with him." Sheriff crossed his arms, scratching at his chin.

"I know what you mean. I'm trying to figure it out. He won't talk to me."

"Can you let me know if he tells you anything? Maybe try to lighten him up a little bit?"

"Sure, Sheriff." He thanked me, giving me a gentle touch on the shoulder. I could see how much Stiles' change in behavior was wearing on him, and honestly, I felt the same way. Stiles from freshman year compared to Stiles now seemed to be a completely different Stiles. Granted, he had been through a lot between those times. Whatever it was, I hoped this change wasn't permanent. I missed how he used to be.

-----------------------

Seven copies of The Dread Doctor were on the glass table of Scott's house. We all (including Theo unfortunately) stared down at the book. Tonight was the night we were all reading it. Together. Which made it a little easier to swallow, but still not easy enough.

"My mom's book club usually has more wine," Lydia hummed.

"Well, they also probably didn't read books that cause violent hallucinations," Stiles quipped.

"That's why Malia's here. She's read it already," Scott said. Malia smiled at him, happy she could do her part.

"So none of us go running into traffic?" Kira asked. Yesterday while we were at Eichen House, Malia and Theo decided to do a little driving lesson of their own. Of course that would be the time when Malia would hallucinate.

"Or worse," I muttered, my mind making up impossible scenarios of everyone's death, including my own. Mine were a little more vivid.

"Like what happened to Judy," Malia sighed. We all gave her the same 'what the hell are you talking about' look. "Chapter 14."

Lydia hummed and picked up a copy. "Maybe I should have my mother read it. She might remember a girl with a tail leaping off the ceiling and attacking everyone," she said passive aggressively.

"If it works," Stiles added.

"It has to."

"What does that mean?" Scott asked.

"I think I saw them during my surgery," Lydia admitted. For the first time, my eyes moved from the book on the table to her. Why were we just now hearing about this? "When I look at the cover of the book, it's almost like..."

"A memory trying to surface," Theo finished when she couldn't. Lydia nodded, and our eyes went to him, all of our expressions looking like we'd forgotten he was even there. Except for Malia. I wasn't sure what it was, but there was something between them. I doubted it was anything romantic, but it was definitely more than what any of us had with him.

"Isn't that what Valack wanted when he wrote it?" Kira asked. I nodded, though my eyes were back on the book. I was seriously debating on walking out of here right now.

"If they did something to me, I want to know what it is." Lydia sat down and began reading her copy. One by one, the copies on the table disappeared until only the book was left, staring up at me like it was daring me.

"I'm thinking wine might be a good idea right about now," I mumbled, mostly to myself.

I jumped anxiously when Scott put his hand on my shoulder. "You don't have to do this, you know."

I gulped, picking up the book. My eyes found Scott and Stiles, both looking at me with care. Theo was looking at me, too, but I didn't care about that. "Yes, I do." I took a deep break, finding a comfortable position to sit in on the couch next to Malia, and opened the stupid book. Stiles nestled on the floor between us, his shoulder touching my leg as he began to read.