Chapter 8: Forty-five Minutes

After the events of Saturday, I was very thankful when Sunday was fairly normal and quiet. I got to catch up on homework, and in the evening, I got a call from Scott. He told me he had an idea, a plan to catch the Benefactor, and that he at the others were meeting at his house tomorrow morning to discuss it.

I didn't sleep much that night; I realized the only time I slept well was the night Liam had stayed over. Something about someone else being there. Someone, I trusted helped me feel safe, and I could sleep.

The next morning, I drove to Scott's; once I arrived, I saw that Stiles and Kira were already there. I sat down at the table and listened as they explained the plan. They told me that Kira was going to use her powers to make it seem like Scott was dead, and then Chris was going to send a message to The Benefactor saying he had killed Scott but couldn't send visual confirmation. That way, the Benefactor had to come to the hospital to see his body for himself, and we could catch him on camera when he did.

I nodded as Scott finished his explanation; I wasn't sure how I felt about this plan; apparently what Kira had to do was extremely dangerous. But I had to admit; we didn't have any other options. The plan was dangerous and crazy, but it could work.

"You're the only one who can see my energy and ensure nothing goes wrong," Scott said. "And with Malia not answering her phone, we could use the backup," Stiles added sadly.

I nodded and then saw Liam walk in the door, and make his way over to us, "Did you bring it?" Scott asked, and he nodded, pulling a laptop out of his bag and setting it on the table.

"Is three enough?" Kira asked, looking down at the three laptops lying on the table. "Depends on how many cameras they have. But I think so," Stiles replied. "Are we really doing this?" Liam asked.

"We're doing it. Tonight," Scott said confidently. "But isn't it kind of dangerous?" Liam asked, looking worried. "it's incredibly dangerous. And borderline idiotic," Stiles answered.

"Have you guys done something like this before?" Liam asked. "Something dangerous? Or something idiotic?" Stiles asked. "I think it's yes to both," Kira said. "Definitely," I agreed. "You don't have to be a part of it if you don't want to," Scott said, looking up at Liam. "That goes for you too, Amaya," he added, looking at me. I just shook my head, "You already know I'll do whatever it takes," I said. "I'm not scared," Liam said, looking at Scott. "Then you're borderline idiotic," Stiles said, giving him a pat on the back.

"If we do this, we don't know what's coming for us. You know that, right?" Stiles said to Scott. "That's why we have Amaya," Scott replied. "How do we even know something's definitely coming?" Kira asked. "Because the tape from Garrett's bag said, visual confirmation was required," Scott answered. "Simon said the same thing. He couldn't get paid by the Benefactor until he had proof you guys were dead," Stiles added.

"So, the idea is, what if you kill someone on the dead pool, but you can't send the proof?" Scott asked. "You don't get paid," Kira answered. "But how does this get us any closer to the Benefactor?" Liam asked.

"He will still want to know if the target is really dead," I replied, "Especially if it's someone high on the list," Stiles added. "So, if he wants visual confirmation," Liam stated. "He's going to have to come get it himself," Scott nodded.

After our conversation, Stiles headed out and I stuck around the McCall house with the others, waiting for the plan to start. Once the sun began to set Kira's mom, Noshiko came; she was the one who knew how to do what needed to be done to Scott.

I watched as Scott lay down on his bed, Kira and her mom on either side of him. And I couldn't help but smile as my eyes fell on Liam pacing back and forth. "Are you guys totally sure about this?" he asked. "I think Liam's a little nervous. Maybe you should tell him it's going to be all right," I heard Kira say to Scott, although I was pretty sure she was talking more about herself. "It's going to be all right," Scott said. "So, you've done this before, right?" Liam asked. "I've seen it done," Noshiko answered. "Is that just as good?" Liam said hopefully. "No," she replied.

Liam looked terrified, I put my hand on his shoulder in an attempt to calm him down a little. He turned and looked at me before relaxing slightly. "It's going to be okay," I whispered as Kira talked to her mom. "Amaya, you might want to pay attention. If for whatever reason, Kira can't get to Scott in time, you should be able to wake him up with your magic," Noshiko said, looking over at me. "I, what?" I said, looking at her, surprised. "While Kira produces electricity, you can emit energy, using your magic power. It will take a lot more power for you, but if you have to, you can bring him back," she explained. I just nodded and watched as she turned back to Kira and began to give instructions. Liam and I watched as Kira put her hand on Scott's chest. It only took a few moments, and then it was done.

I stood in the hospital looking at Scott's dead body. I looked up as Malissa walked into the room, "I still hate this plan. I mean, this is pretty significantly terrifying. He looks dead," she cried. "Give me your hand," Noshiko said, "It's okay," I said, looking at her, and Stiles nodded. "Now listen," Noshiko said, looking at Malissa's hand. Malissa placed her hand on Scott's chest and let out a gasp. "Wait for it," she said. A few moments later, Malissa let out a sigh as she felt Scott's heartbeat.

"Is that enough to keep a werewolf alive?" she asked. "Enough for an Alpha," Noshiko answered. "And how long do we have?" Melissa asked. "Forty-five minutes." She replied. "And what happens after that?" Malissa inquired.

"I bring him back the same way," Kira answered, trying to avoid the question she knew Malissa was asking. "No. I mean, what happens if he stays like this longer than forty-five minutes?" Malissa stated. "No one's told her?" Noshiko asked. "What? What happens after forty-five minutes?" Malissa demanded. I looked around, no one wanted to answer her question, and I understood. I took a deep breath and then spoke, "He dies," I answered.

Malissa looked at all of us before storming out of the room. Stiles tried to go after her. "Stiles, no!" I called after him. "You go meet up with Chris and get the cameras set up. I'll talk to her," I said, walking out of the room.

I walked into the hall and saw Malissa leaning against the wall. "I'm sorry," I said, walking up to her. "No, I know it's not your fault. This was Scott's plan. I'm just terrified; he's always putting himself in harm's way," Malissa cried.

"He'll be okay. If Kira can't get to him in time, I can," I said softly. "I thought Kira was the only one who could bring him back," Malissa said. "Yeah, I did, too," I said with a sigh. "Apparently there is a lot I don't know when it comes to what I'm capable of," I added. "You're capable of a lot," I heard a voice say from behind me. I turned around to see Noshiko, "They all set up," she said to me, and I nodded before turning to look at Malissa. "Go," she said softly, I smiled and then walked off towards the room where we had planned to set up the laptops earlier.

When I walked into the room I saw Stiles, Liam, and Kira staring intently at the screens; I walked over and joined them. We sat there for what felt like forever. "Is that supposed to do that?" I heard Liam ask; I looked at the screen and saw that one of the cameras had gone dark. "No. No, it's not," Stiles replied, "Where is that?" Kira asked. "It's the roof," I answered. "Someone's going to have to check it out," Stiles said. "I'll go," Kira offered.

"Whoa, whoa. This might not just be a malfunction." Stiles said. "That's why I'm bringing this," Kira said, holding up her sword before walking to the door. "I'm coming with you!" Liam yelled, running after her. "Okay. And you're both coming right back. immediately!" Stiles yelled after them. "kids," he said with a sigh and shook his head. "I'm starting to get this feeling I'm going to regret being roped into this," I muttered. "Yeah, me too," Stiles replied.

"How's he doing?" Stiles asked, looking at the screen that showed us, Scott. I looked at the screen, focusing my powers; I saw a faint red glow coming from him before the camera shut off. All of them turned to static. "What just happened?" I asked, looking at Stiles, "the power just went out," he replied, walking out into the hall. I followed behind him until we ran into Chis.

"The powers out in the whole building. I lost the cameras," Stiles said to him. "Stiles, stay with Scott. Text me if you see or hear anything," Chris instructed, looking at the both of us. "Amaya, come with me," Chris instructed; I nodded, following behind him.

As we walked down the hall, I began to have this feeling; I scanned the halls with my eyes and that's when I saw it. "Berserkers," I said, looking at the creature walking down the hall. I looked over at Chris. "You know what this means," I said, looking back at him; he nodded. "Then go!" I yelled as I reached into my bag, "I've got this one; just go protect Scott!" I told him.

As he ran back down the hall and disappeared, I turned to face the Berserker. I pulled the Berserkers claw that had been lodged into Scott's torso out of my bag. Deaton had given it to me, he said that it might be useful in a fight. Along with something about how it's one of the only things that can really wound a Berserker.

I watched as the creature got closer to me; this was going to suck, I thought to myself as I gripped the claw tighter. The Berserker stormed towards me, and we began to fight. I managed to hold my own and get a few good hit's in. However, I didn't quite doge one of the Berserker's attacks and threw me up against the wall. After that, everything went dark.

I felt a hand on my shoulder as I came too, and I heard a familiar voice calling my name. I looked up and saw Liam. I tried to sit up but felt a pain in my arm, "Your bleeding," he said; I looked at my arm and saw a gash up my bicep where the Berserker had hit me before throwing me into the wall. "I'm fine," I said, sitting up and putting pressure on the wound.

"Help me up?" I asked, looking up at Liam with a weak smile. He nodded and pulled me onto my feet; I noticed he was distracted by something. "What is it?" I asked. "Someone else is hurt," he said and began to walk down the hall. I followed after him, and as we rounded a corner, I gasped as I took in the scene in front of me. There lying on the ground in Malissa's arms was Noshiko, they were surrounded by a puddle of blood and Noshiko had a massive wound in her stomach.

"Go tell Kira," I said, reaching out and squeezing Liam's arm, but he just stood there frozen. "Liam!" I yelled, and the boy flinched, turning to look at me. "Go tell Kira," I repeated softer. He nodded at then darted off.

"Can I do anything to help?" I asked, limping over to Melissa. She looked up at me, worry in her eyes. "Put pressure on it," she replied, I nodded and put my hands over the wound. Soon doctor ran over to us, and got Noshiko up off the floor, taking her away.

Malissa turned to me. "Your bleeding," she said, turning to at looking at me. "I'm fine," I said weakly. "No, you're not," she said. But then she got distracted by Kira, Scott, Stiles, and Liam running up to her, looking for Kira's mom. I sat down in a chair; all I could feel was the pain in my arms, nothing else. After a moment, I heard Malissa's voice again. "You need to get that wound treated," I heard her say, and then she stood up to get a doctor. "Malissa," I said, grabbing her hand. She looked back at me, "You do it. I can't control my powers when I'm in this much pain," I said, taking my hands out of my pocket to show them glowing.

"Okay," Malissa said softly. She took me to a room and then bandaged my wound, which thankfully didn't need stitches. As she cleaned my injury, I felt the energy build up. Suddenly, the glass on the table began to glow silver and then shattered, causing Malissa to jump. "Sorry," I muttered, "It's okay," she said.

A few moments later, the door swung open. "Amaya, mom. Are you okay?" I heard Scott's voice. I looked up and saw the dark-haired boy looking at me. "Yeah," I said with a wince as Malissa wrapped the last bandage on my arm. Scott stepped closer, his eyes landing on my bandaged arm. "Are you in pain?" he questioned. "Only a little," I responded as I stood up and wince. Scott reached out to take my hand so that he could absorb some of my pain, I quickly grabbed his wrist before he could grab my hand just in instinct. "Sorry. But really, I'm fine," I mumbled letting go of his hand.

"Okay," Scott said with a nod. "Hey, so, Stiles is taking Liam home, and the doctors said that I could leave as long as I come back tomorrow," Scott said, looking at his mom. I watched as she looked at her watch. "Well if you want I can drive you home; my shift is over," she said, looking at him, and then she looked over at me. "Amaya, you need a ride home?" she asked, turning to me, and I nodded.

The ride home was quiet. Once Malissa dropped me off at my house, I quickly said thank you and then went inside. My eyes landed on my mom sitting at the table as I walked in.

"Amaya?" she asked, looking at me, her eyes filled with worry. "I'm okay, mom. I'm okay," I said as she engulfed me in a hug. I spent the next twenty minutes explaining to my mom what had happened, leaving out a few of the details like how I fought a Berserker on my own.

"You're sure you're, okay?" my mom questioned as she inspected the wound. "Yes, mom," I muttered. "I'm just exhausted," I replied, just wanting to go to my room. "Of course. Here take this it will help with your bruises. Now, go get some rest," my mom said getting up and handing me a jar of salve from the cabinet before I headed upstairs.

Once in my room, I grabbed some fresh clothes and went to my bathroom. I stripped off my bloody clothes and looked at myself in the mirror. I had a bruise on my stomach from where the Berserker had hit me and a few on my arm. My hand wandered up to my arm; I was going to have a scar. That sucked. I slowly put the salve my mom have given me on my bruises, and then slipped on my clothes before stepping back into my room.

"Oh my God," I gasped as I saw someone standing in the middle of my dark room. My eyes glowed as I threw them against the wall. "Ow," I heard Liam's voice as he slid down the wall. "Liam! What the hell are you doing here!" I whispered as I flipped in the light and saw the blond-haired boy sitting against my wall where I had thrown him. "Sorry, I just wanted to make sure you were okay," Liam muttered, standing up. "Oh, sorry," I said, sitting on my bed. I sighed, "What about you? Are you okay," I asked. "I'm healing," he replied. I nodded, staring down at my feet. "It didn't work," I heard Liam whisper after a moment. We both just sat there; my head was spinning. He was right it didn't work, the Benefactor never showed, maybe Kate scared him off, but he had plenty of time to get there before she showed up. There was no way he could have known it was a trap, I thought to myself, but then it hit me.

"It did work," I said after a moment, Liam looked at me confused. What do you mean?" he asked as he sat down next to me. "The Benefactor didn't show. We have no idea who he is," Liam hissed. "That's exactly it. He didn't show at all. He should have shown up, even with Kate being there. Unless" I explained. "Unless?" Liam said, looking at me, confused. "Unless the Benefactor is someone capable of knowing if someone's dead or not, without actually seeing the body," I explained.

Liam stared at me blankly for a moment. "Oh, come on," I sighed, realizing he had no idea what I was saying. "It's a Banshee, the Benefactor is a Banshee, or at least they are working with one," I said, rolling my eyes. "That's why they never showed. They knew Scott wasn't dead!" Liam exclaimed. "Yes. Even a witch would have to get close enough to see if they could spot Scott's energy. But whoever the Benefactor is, they didn't even have to stand in the hospital parking lot. They just knew," I explained.

"Now, seriously, I need to rest," I said as I scooted under my covers. Liam got off the bed and looked down at me, "Do you want me to stay?" he asked. I looked at him for a moment, I could tell he wasn't asking me if I wanted him to stay. He was asking if he could stay, he was terrified. "Yeah," I replied. I watched as Liam unfolded the blanket on the window bed and then laid down. "Hey Amaya," I heard him say softly. "Thanks," he whispered. With that, I flipped off the light next to my bed and drifted off to sleep.