18 Omega

I walk into the hospital, quickly stopping by the nurses station and handing my mom a bag of Chinese takeout.

"Oh, thank you my favorite child." She beams, taking the bag from my hand.

"Care to say that again on recording?" I tease, I smirk present on my face.

My mom smiles but shakes her head, "Here to see Lydia?"

"You know it." I turn my head to look towards her room but I don't see her.

"She just went into the shower," I turned to face the voice. Mrs. Martin is standing there with a smile on her face.

I nod in acknowledgement, smiling back. "I'll just go bother that loser then." I point at Stiles who is slumped in a waiting room chair with a 'Get Well Soon' balloon gripped tightly in his hand.

I walk over to Stiles and lift my foot up to lightly kick his stomach. "Get up."

Stiles grumbles but opens his eyes, "Hey Scar," he yawns. He slowly stands up, stretching his long limbs.

"Let's go for a walk." I gently grab his arm and pull him with me, away from Lydia's room.

Stiles stops me at the vending machine, "You want some m&m's?"

I nod, "Yeah sure, thanks." I lean against the machine as he puts the money in.

"Seriously?" He starts taping on the window but the candy doesn't budge. He then smacks his hand against the window as I watch on in amusement. "Help me shake the machine."

"What?"

"So the candy will fall. Help or move so I can do it."

I roll my eyes but step to the side and grab onto the vending machine to help him rock it back and forth.

Stiles is muttering under his breath and next thing I know the machine slips through our fingers and crashes to the floor. I gasp as Stiles and I freeze. We look at each other then he quickly walks around the machine, grabs my hand and we walk away like nothing happened.

We don't make it very far before we hear a loud scream, Lydia's scream. Without thinking we let go of each other's hand and run towards her hospital room.

We make it to her room right behind Lydia's parents and my mom. "What the hell was that?" my mom asks.

We gather at the open bathroom door. The shower is still running, water flowing over the side of the tub. The window in the bathroom is open and the curtains move with the breeze. There is no sign of Lydia.

*_*_*_*_*_*

Stiles and I linger behind the Martin's, my mother, and Sheriff Stilinkski. They are talking about Lydia disappearing. "All right, let's get an A-P-B out for a sixteen year old redhead. Any other descriptors?"

The sheriff turns his head to Lydia's parents as he asks but instead of either of them answering, his son does. "She's five-foot-three, green eyes, fair-skinned and her hair is actually strawberry blonde."

Everyone turns to Stiles. Mr. Stilinski breaks their gaze by speaking once more, "What are you still doing here?"

"Providing moral support?" Stiles answers, glancing at me.

"How about you provide your ass back home where you should be?"

"And take Scarlett home too?" my mother asks.

I gape at her about to argue but Stiles speaks before I can, "I can do that."

We both walk away, passing by a group of confused hospital workers staring down at the vending machine.

*_*_*_*_*_*

Stiles, Scott and I were sitting in his jeep outside the hospital. Stiles hands Scott Lydia's hospital gown. "This is the one she was just wearing?" Scott asks, taking the garment into his hands.

Stiles nods slowly, keeping his gaze fixed on the fabric. "I'm not going to let anyone hurt her." Scott pauses turning to look at me, "Not again."

"Just shove the thing in your face and let's find her." Stiles says, clearly impatient. Scott raises the gown to his face and Stiles clicks on his headlights getting ready to leave the parking lot.

Before he can leave the parking spot Allison pops up beside the passenger side door startling all three of us.

"What are you doing? Someone's going to see us" Scott starts in a hushed whisper.

"I don't care. She's my best friend. And we need to find her before they do." Allison replies.

My brother instantly replies with confidence, "I can find her before the cops."

"How about before my father does?"

"He knows?" Both Stiles and I blurt.

"I just saw him and three other guys leave my house in two SUV's." Allison confirms.

"A search party?" Scott questions.

"More like a hunting party." My brother, Stiles and I all share a look before Stiles unlocks the doors.

"Get in." Scott says.

*_*_*_*_*_*

As Stiles drives down the road Scott turns to ask Allison, "If she's turning would they actually kill her?"

"I don't know. They haven't been telling me anything. All they say is we'll talk after Kate's funeral when the others get here."

"What others?" I ask, raising an eyebrow at the young hunter.

"They won't tell me that either."

"Okay, your family has some serious communication issues to work on. Scott? Are we going the right way?" Stiles asks.

We all turn to face Scott who has his head sticking out the window, smelling the air. "Take the next right," He yells.

*_*_*_*_*_*

Stiles pulls up to the burned Hale house. We step out of the jeep and make our way towards the building, yellow police tape stretches across the windows and door. "She came here?" I question Scott, looking around for any clues that Lydia came here.

"This is where the scent leads." He confirms.

"But has Lydia ever been here?" Stiles asks.

I shake my head as Allison answers, "Not with me." She then turns to Scott, "Maybe she came here on instinct. Like she was looking for Derek."

"You mean looking for an Alpha." Scott says.

"Wolves need a pack, right?" Allison questions us.

"Not all of them." Scott sighs.

"But would she be drawn to an Alpha? Is that an instinct? To be part of a pack?"

Scott reluctantly nods, "We're stronger in a pack."

As Scott and Allison speak, Stiles and I walk away searching for any indication that Lydia was there. "Hey," I turn to look towards Stiles who is waving us over to him. "You see this? I think it's a tripwire."

He pulls back on the wire, triggering the mechanism. We glance up from the wire when we hear the sound of something slicing through the air. Behind Stiles, Allison and me, Scott is yanked off his feet. A wire is wrapped around one of his ankles as he dangles in the air.

"Stiles," Scott sighs, "Next time you see a tripwire? Don't trip it."

"Noted." Stiles nods.

The three of us approach my brother to try and help him down but we stop when Scott holds up a hand, "Wait." We all pause, "Someone's coming. Hide."

Stiles, Allison and I quickly move to hide behind a tree a few feet away.

Hiding in the shadows, we can just make out the voices of Mr. Argent and Scott. After a few moments Argent and the other hunters walk away. When the coast is clear, we make our way back over to Scott. "Are you alright?" I ask my twin.

"Just another life-threatening situation with Mr. Argent." Scott says casually, still hanging upside down.

"Stiles, help me with this." Allison says as she turns towards the wire, trying to let Scott down. They both turn back around when they hear the sound of a cord snapping.

Scott drops to his feet, rising up and retracting his claws. "Thanks. But I think I got it."

I smirk as Stiles and Allison exchange a look. "You guys coming?" I ask as I start walking away with Scott by my side.

*_*_*_*_*_*

The next morning Stiles picked Scott and I up before school. He was telling us about a call his dad went on earlier about a grave robbery. "She ate the liver?" Scott asked, disgust evident in his voice.

"I didn't say she ate it. I said it was missing. And if she did? So what? It's the most nutritious part of the body?" Stiles tries to defend the strawberry blonde.

"I never ate anyone's liver."

"Oh right, because when it comes to werewolves you're a real model of self-control." Stiles rolls his eyes then gasps, "Hold on. You're the test case for this. We should be going over what happened to you."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean what was going through your head when you were turning? What were you drawn to?"

"Allison." Scott deadpans.

"Allison? That's it?" I ask in disbelief.

"Nothing else mattered. But that's good, right? The night Lydia was bit, she was with the both of you."

"Yeah, but she was looking for Jackson." Stiles confirms.

We all turn our head as we hear Jackson pull into a driving spot. He steps out of his Porsche as a homeless man rifles through a trash can speaks, "Nice car."

Jackson sighs then hands the man money, "Here's a dollar. Go find another parking lot to die in."

I roll my eyes then look back at Scott and Stiles, "How do we even know it was Lydia who took the liver?"

"Who else would it be?" Scott asks.

"I don't know. But what I do know is that if Lydia was a werewolf she should be healed by now and she's not. The bite mark is still there." Before either boy can reply I spin on my heel, heading to my locker.

*_*_*_*_*_*

At the end of the day I swing by my locker once more. Just as I shut the door a figure approaches on my right. "You look nice, Scarlett."

I furrow my eyebrows looking down at my ripped skinny jeans, black tank top, leather jacket, and black ankle heel boots. "Thanks."

I pull my lips into a tight lipped smile and finally look at the teenager who complimented me. The boy standing next to me has brown hair and eyes, a big smile graces his lips and an expensive looking camera is in his hands. "Nice camera."

His smile widens, if that's possible, "Thanks. Do you like photography?"

"Never really tried. I don't think I would be very good though."

"Well you don't know unless you try. Maybe I can teach you sometime?"

I hesitate, "Yeah, maybe..." I trail off. Should I know him?

"I'm Matt. I probably should have introduced myself. Though we have been in the same classes since elementary school." He chuckles.

I grimace at my lack of observation, "Right. Sorry."

"It's alright. You were always popular unlike me. You and Lydia always had a group around you."

I look down when he mentions Lydia, worried about my best friend.

I look back up when I hear him suck in a breath, "Sorry I shouldn't have mentioned her."

"It's fine. I'm just worried." I take a breath, "I should get going. It was nice talking to you."

He nods but I walk away before he can say anything else.

*_*_*_*_*_*

Scott, Stiles and I hide behind a gravestone watching as a well dressed older gentleman approaches Allison and her parents. "Who the hell is that?" Stiles asks.

"Definitely an Argent." Scott answers.

"No shit, Sherlock." I roll my eyes.

Ignoring my comment Stiles speaks once more, "Maybe they're just here for the funeral. Maybe they're in the non-hunting part of the family. They could be non-hunting Argents, right?"

"Doubtful." I instantly replied.

"I know what they are. They're reinforcements." Scott answers, with worry in his eyes.

Then out of nowhere hands grab the two boys behind me, "The three of you. Unbelievable." Sheriff Stilinksi gestures for me to follow behind.

I put my head down and shamefully follow as he drags the two boys to his car. He makes us all sit in the back in order to keep an eye on us.

I sit in the middle of the boys as Sheriff Stilinski talks to a deputy on the radio, "I don't think I copied that. You said 415-Adam?"

"Disturbance in a car." Stiles whispers to my brother and me.

"They were taking a heart attack victim - D-O-A. But on the way to the hospital something hit them." The deputy's voice came over the radio once more.

"Copy. I'm -- I'm standing in front of it now. Something got in the back."

The three of us glance at each other, all listening even more intently.

"There's blood everywhere. And I mean, everywhere."

"Copy that, Unit four. What's your twenty?"

"Route five and Post. I swear, I've never seen anything like this."

And that was all we needed. We quickly opened the door and got out of the car without the Sheriff's knowledge.

*_*_*_*_*_*

The two brunette boys and I crouch low between the trees as we quietly approach the flashing red and blue lights of the cop cars and ambulance.

We stay hidden behind the trees as we move as close as possible to get a look at the damage. Glancing at the open back doors of the ambulance, we can see blood splattered all over the vehicle.

"What the hell is Lydia doing?" Stiles mumbles, just loud enough for my twin and I to hear.

Scott whispers back, "I don't know."

Without missing a beat I reply, "We still don't know if it's even her."

The boys shake their heads, clearly concerned about how in denial I am, but I choose to ignore them. My best friend would not do this.

"Do you need to get closer?" Stiles asks Scott.

"No. I got it."

"Just find her please, Scott. I need my best friend. I need my sister." Unshed tears glisten my eyes as I turn to face my brother. He nods, gives my arm a squeeze, then dashes off through the trees in search of Lydia.

*_*_*_*_*_*

Stiles and I make our way over to the Sheriff. As we are talking with him a figure comes out of the woods. Not just any figure, but the naked, shivering figure of Lydia Martin.

"Lydia?" Both me and Stiles breathe out in shock.

She blinks, her eyes adjusting to the bright lights around her. Her arms wrapped around her naked body, "Well? Is anyone going to get me a coat?"

Stiles stumbles to the ground grasping his father's coat. His father walks towards Lydia, handing her his sheriffs jacket then leaves her with me as he calls her parents.

I quickly give her a hug and rub my arms up and down her back trying to get her as warm as possible. "You had me so worried."

"I don't know what happened." She whispers, her arms slowly returning the tight embrace.

"It's alright. All that matters is that you are here and you are okay. And I'll be here through every step if you need me"

Lydia shakily smiles at me, her eyes glistening with unshed tears.