kdrama rec/review: mystic pop up bar
KDRAMA AND CDRAMA MASTER LIST OF REVIEWS
Series: mystic pop up bar
Episodes: NOT ENOUGH 12
Genres: urban fantasy, urban horror lite, found family!!!, friendship, mystery, comedy, supernatural, warm fuzzies despite an alarming amount of death
Spoilers in the Rec: minor ones/for the set-up
If You Like, You’ll Like: hotel del luna (although it has a very different feel), early bleach (manga), found families, being human (uk & us versions), those moments in shows where you’re like OH MAN HOW ARE THEY GETTING OUT OF THIS and then they do. because friendship.
Rank: 10/10
I went into this with low expectations. it sounded like it was trying to bank on hotel del luna, but i was still down to watch a ghost version of leverage or whatever this turned out to be. figured it’d be decent to watch but not AMAZING.
the first ep gave me that impression. by the second ep i was hooked. and by the third ep this was one of my favorite shows of all time
PREMISE
during the joseon era, a shaman named weol ju went and fucked up a perfectly good sacred tree. as punishment, she now has to resolve the grudges of 100,000 humans or go to hell. as a shaman, she can accomplish this by plying them with alcohol and entering their dreams (well the alcohol part might just be her artistic signature).
time to start a bar!
in the current day, 500 years later, weol ju owns and runs mystic pop up bar, where she learns about her customers’ grudges. and apparently has sound business strategy, as she serves like 4 people a day but still has enough overhead to craft these 4 people bespoke meals that speak to their inner tragedy. and also sandwiches.
helping her is chief gwi, a ghost cop who’s been reassigned to her bar to help weol ju accomplish her quota. because time’s running out--weol ju now has less than a month to solve her 10 remaining grudges.
enter bambi kang bae. a regular human who works a regular customer service job, kang bae has one terrible power: anytime someone touches him (or he touches them), they want to confess their deepest, darkest secrets. kang bae is understandably not comfortable around people (but desperately wants to be around people. my poor fucking heart) and incredibly lonely.
when his and weol ju’s paths cross, she makes him an offer: he helps her out with her remaining grudges, and in return she’ll remove his powers.
deal!
MAIN CHARACTERS
weol ju
a 500+ year old shaman who is paying for her sins on earth because she went out on a limb :| . begins the series angry and ends the series angry, because it turns out angry people can still be kind, which is great to see with a female protagonist. how close she’s cutting it to the deadline on her quota speaks strongly to sixth-year senior vibes. wears modern versions of hanboks which are all v. cool and on moments of aching realization wednesdays she wears pink.
will steal your shit and look you straight in the eyes as she walks backwards into hell.
gwi/gui
a former ghost cop who’s been reassigned to help weol ju run the mystic pop up bar. he’s a lot more chill than weol ju and has the vibe of someone who forgets keys at home. while at the bar, he does a lot of the prep work, and is sometimes asked by yeom to help catch nearby, evil spirits.
he’s actually like a hardcore warrior, but you forget it because he wears goggles to cut onions and dresses like someone who would be the spokesperson for microwaveable fish sticks. team dad. fanboy of romantic serial e-novels.
han kang bae
a baby.
in a truly amazing narrative move, kang bae works customer service at a market by day and solves grudges at a bar by night. is a sweet, simple boy who just wants to help people and is SO EXCITED to have new friends in weol ju and gwi. you want to give him a hug BUT YOU CAN’T. human carebear
even the yellow collar of his customer service uniform makes a heart:
SOME SUPPORT CHARACTERS SELECTED BY HOW MUCH THEY ARE MY FAVORITES
kang yeo ri
lmao you know it’s going to be good when a character is introduced dropping a dude straight to the ground. yeo rin is a bodyguard mild spoiler turned security guard for the market where kang bae works. she could beat the shit out of you and you’d thank her. has no luck in dating. rocks a suit. sobs at movies about gout
yeom, the grim reaper
your friendly neighborhood grim reaper. yeom very much screams middle management, and works in the same “district” that weol ju and gwi have their pop up bar in. sometimes they’re at odds with one another (because weol ju has about the same amount of respect for the rules that an untrained puppy has for new carpet), but they’re still friends. gwi sometimes works with him to catch evil spirits, buddy-cop style. loves noodles.
yeomra-daewang
god of the underworld. in charge of handing out punishments and determining the fates of those sent to the afterlife. forgets who she’s texting. appreciates true love but is also aggressively annoyed by it. take your fucking scroll and go
samsin
probably the character with the most name recognition. samsin (or samsin granny) is the goddess of mothers and children, and in the show the focus is more on children. loves karaoke, basic bitch coffee, and claw games. gives out too many sexy tiger dreams.
kim wong hyun
he gave them the heebie jeebies. he had nothing else to give
ringtones.
they’re their own character. check out those motifs.
Drawbacks
if i had any, it’s that the first episode undersells the rest of the series. and even the first ep isn’t bad
12 episodes is not enough :(
Reasons to Watch.
i love the little details: that the supernatural characters have ring tones that correspond to their role (ex: the god of the underworld’s are screams; i believe the grim reaper’s are a shaman’s bells?, gwi has SPOILERS), or that the food special of the day connects or reflects with the person they’re helping. themes/significant moments are represented by the colors characters are wearing. im a nerd for this stuff
there are some dramatic reveals about who characters are and how they relate to one another, but like. dynamics barely (or don’t at all) change, and that’s due to how strong/familial they are already? and the show’s built up to it and it all feels really earned A+
i HATE monster of the week formats, but the ones in this show are integrated with the main characters’ backstories and also propel the major arcs forward. and it’s wholesome when the grudges are solved
i like that you think you saw a full scene in the flashbacks, but then a few eps later the flashback gets extended. idk it’s a cool narrative device
the romance is wonderful all-around
the pacing was great. i wish one of the Reveals was introduced earlier just so we could have more moments with it, but everything was cohesive/wrapped up nicely
all the characters have their own unique relationships to one another. kang bae + weol ju have their own dynamic, weol ju +gwi, gwi + kang bae, and so on. it was nice to see that none of the main trio were satellite characters
Final Thoughts.
they’re a team, god damn it ;;;;;;
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Cloud’s bi/pan/ply headcanons 2022
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DanganRonpa
Makoto Naegi-Pan
Mondo Oowada-Bi
Leon Kuwata-Pan
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Kyoko Kirigiri-Bi
Celestia Ludenberg-Ply
Mukuro Ikusaba-Pan
Hajime Hinata-Bi
Nagito Komaeda-Pan
Gundam Tanaka-Pan
Terurteru Hanamura-Pan
Twogami-Bi
Chiaki Nanami-Pan
Sonia Nevermind-Bi
Ibuki Mioda-Pan
Yuta Asahina-Bi
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Kyosuke Munakata-Bi
Chisa Yukizome-Pan
Miaya Gekkougahara-Abro
Kaede Akamatsu-Bi
Suiichi Saihara-Bi
Kiibo-Pan
Pokemon
Gary/Blue/Green Oak-Bi
Red-Bi
Misty-Pan
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Lance-Bi
Janine-Bi
Silver-Bi
Morty-Pan
Jasmine-Ply
Ariana-Bi
Archie-Bi
Shelly-Bi
Aster-Pan
Cynthia-Bi
Maylene-Pan
Candice-Omni
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Cheren-Pan
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Malva-Biromantic
Bryony
Aliana
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Lana-Pan
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Sonia-Bi
Milo-Pan
Piers-Bi
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Oleana-Bi
Jessie-Pan
James-Bi
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Arezu-Bi
Sanqua-Pan
Cyllene-Bi
Steven Universe
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Jenna-Pan
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Disney
Tiana-Bi (Princess and the Frog)
Charlotte “Lottie” LaBouf-Bi (Princess and the Frog)
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Nala-Bi (Lion King series)
Kiara-Bi (Lion King series)
Luz Noceda-Bi (The Owl House) (Canon)
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Jack Kelly-Bi (Newsies)
Edalyn Clawthorne-Bi (The Owl House)
Camilla Noceda-Bi (The Owl House)
Shang Li-Bi (Mulan)
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Han Solo-Bi (Star Wars)
Finn-Bi (Star Wars)
Sora-Bi (Kingdom Hearts)
Riku-Pan (Kingdom Hearts)
Madge the honey badger-Bi (Zootopia)
Cinderella-Pan (Cinderella)
Duchess-Bi (Aristocats)
Hunter-Bi (The Owl House)
Mabel Pines-Pan (Gravity Falls)
Micheal “Dipper” Pines-Pan (Gravity Falls)
Mirabel Madrigal-Bi (Encanto)
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Sasha Waybright-Bi (Amphibia) (Canon)
Anne Boonchoy-Bi (Amphibia)
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Animal Crossing
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The Dark Crystal
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Bowser-Bi (Mario series)
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Mipha-Pan (Legend of Zelda; Breath of the Wild)
Korra-Bi (Avatar series) (Canon)
Asami Sato-Bi (Avatar series) (Canon)
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Dr. Harold Coomer-Bi (HLVRAI) (Canon)
Cloud Strife-Bi (FFVII)
Sidon-Bi (Legend of Zelda; Breath of the Wild)
Bela Dimitrescu-Bi (Resident Evil Village)
Daniella Dimitrescu-Bi (Resident Evil Village)
Daddy Dearest-Bi (Friday Night Funkin’)
Mommy Mearest-Bi (Friday Night Funkin’)
Girlfriend (Friday Night Funkin’)
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Miku Hatsune-Bi (Vocaloid)
Arsene Lupin III-Bi (Lupin III)
Daisuke Jigen-Bi (Lupin III)
Goemon Ishikawa XIII-Bi (Lupin III)
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Angela Ziegler/Mercy-Bi (Overwatch)
Olivia Comomar/Sombra-Bi (Overwatch) (Canon)
Alphys-Bi (Undertale)
Mad Mew Mew-Bi (Undertale)
Reno-Bi (Final Fantasy VII)
Tifa Lockhart-Bi (Final Fantasy VII)
Ryou Bakura-Bi (Yu-Gi-Oh!)
Lust-Bi (FullMetal Alchemist)
Veronica Sawyer-Bi (Heathers)
Megurine Luka-Pan (Vocaloid)
Kamui Gakupo-Bi (Vocaloid)
IA-Bi (UTAUloid)
Yokune Ruko-Bi (UTAUloid)
Gloria-Bi (Happy Feet)
Ms. Viola-Bi (Happy Feet)
Joaquin Mondragon-Bi (Book of Life)
Manolo Sanchez-Pan (Book of Life)
Maria Posada-Pan (Book of Life)
Clarice-Bi (Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer)
Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III-Bi (How to Train Your Dragon)
Cloudjumper-Bi (How to Train Your Dragon)
Unnamed Light Fury/Nubless/Luna-Bi (How to Train Your Dragon)
Megamind-Bi (Megamind)
Merle Highchurch-Pan (The Adventure Zone)
Lup-Bi (The Adventure Zone)
Barry Bluejeans-Bi (The Adventure Zone)
Audrey-Bi (The Adventure Zone) (Canon)
Kris-Bi (Deltarune)
Ralsei-Omni (Deltarune)
Wammawink-Bi (Centaurworld)
Glendale-Pan (Centaurworld)
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She Howls II: Pack
Summary: The Argents know about Scott and Angela. Derek betrayed them. Secrets keep growing. Things just aren’t working in their favour. To make things worse, more lines are crossed and drawn as new dangers and threats fall on Beacon Hills. But out of everything Angela and her friends have to face, she never thought the thing that could hurt her the most was something inside her…
Bamby’s Masterlist
She Howls Masterlist
She Howls II: Pack Masterlist
Chapter Nine: Busted
Warnings: Some violence, blood, drama.
Bamby
Allison slid her tablet through the bookshelf and over to the side where Stiles, Scott and I were pretending to read some books. With her grandfather putting cameras up all over the school, it was getting harder and harder for her to help us without being seen talking with Scott…
"It's everything Lydia can translate," she explained as Scott turned the screen on. "And trust me, she was very confused."
We looked down at the bestiary page she left it on, seeing the notes Lydia had left.
"Yeah, what'd you tell her?" Scott asked.
"That we were part of an online gaming community that battles mythical creatures." I could hear the smile on Allison's face as she looked the other way on the opposite side of the bookshelf.
Scott and I chuckled a little.
Stiles looked to each of us. "I am part of an online gaming community that battles mythical creatures."
Allison turned to us then, her smile being replaced by a look of guilt and surprise. "Oh. Great."
"Okay, does it say how to find out who's controlling him?" Scott asked, looking down at the tablet again, getting back on track.
"Not really." Allison shook her head. "But Stiles was right about the murderers. It calls the Kanima a weapon of vengeance. There's a story in there about this South American priest who uses the Kanima to execute murders in his village."
"All right, see? So maybe it's not all that bad." Stiles shrugged.
I sighed, seeing the next part of the story in Lydia's notes. "'The bond between master and servant grew stronger until the will of the master became that of the Kanima's and whomever the priest deemed unworthy the Kanima served his vengeance'." Looking away from the tablet I turned to Stiles.
"All bad, all very, very bad."
"Here's the thing though," Allison spoke up again. "The Kanima's actually supposed to be a werewolf. But it can't be-" She cut herself off as someone else walked into her isle for a moment.
"'Until it resolves that in its past which manifested it'," Scott read from the tablet, finishing her sentence.
"Okay, if that means that Jackson could use a few thousand hours of therapy, I could've told you that myself," Stiles piped up.
"What if it has something to do with his parents?" Allison suggested, alone in her isle again. "His real parents."
"Yeah, does anybody actually know what happened to them?" Scott asked, looking to each of us.
Stiles shrugged. "Lydia might."
"What if she doesn't know anything?" Scott had a good point.
"Well, he doesn't have a restraining order against me, so I'll talk to him myself," Allison noted.
Not liking the idea of her being alone with Jackson, I spoke up, "I can go with you. He doesn't have a restraining order on me either."
Allison raised an eyebrow at me. "Have you ever spoken to Jackson?"
"Yes." I nodded. But when they all continued to look I sighed, giving in. "Not conversationally."
"I think I'll get more out of him if I go alone." Allison gave a small smile. "But thanks for the offer."
"Okay, what do I do?" Scott asked.
"You have a make-up exam, remember?" Allison reminded him.
Scott sighed. "If he does anything, you run the other way."
"I can take care of myself."
"Allison, if you get hurt while I'm busy with some stupid test, someone's going to need to take care of me. If he does anything…"
"Like?"
"Anything weird or bizarre… anything."
Stiles pushed forward then, sticking his head through the shelves and onto her side. "Anything evil!"
Rolling my eyes, I grabbed and pulled him back through to our side.
"I can take care of myself," Allison assured Scott one last time before she walked off, leaving the library.
We all watched her leave before waiting a moment so we could go as well. As we headed for the exit I turned to Scott, feeling how worried he was.
"I'll stay close to her."
He nodded to me. "Thank you."
…
Scott was busy working on his make-up exam. Stiles was trying to get some answers from Lydia. Allison was trying to talk to Jackson. That left me, alone, in the cafeteria.
I was doing what I said I would. Allison didn't want me with her, but Scott wanted someone keeping an eye on her. So I was using all my senses to keep track of where she was, without following her.
Right now, she was headed for the boys' locker room. Everything was fine. She was fine. So far, so good.
"Hi." Isaac slid into the chair across from mine, a smirk spread on his lips.
I rolled my eyes at him. "What do you want?"
He shrugged. "I've been thinking. We got off on the wrong foot."
"What do you want?" I repeated, my tone bored and flat.
"I just wanna be friends." He shrugged again, still smirking.
"You attacked my brother. Tried to kill Lydia. Broke into my house. Attacked all of my friends, and me. Almost destroyed my mum's living room." Leaning back in my chair, I crossed my arms over my chest and glared at him. "Why would I want to be friends with you?"
"Okay, you have some good points. But your brother should learn to mind his own business. We thought Lydia was the Kanima. And to be fair, you almost destroyed your mother's living room when you and your brother beat the crap out of me," he countered.
"So, then, why do you want to be friends with me?"
"Our kind should really stick together." He shrugged, yet again.
Smiling, I leaned forward in my chair, placing my elbows on the table in front of me. "You're new at this, so let me give you a little advice. If you want something from someone, know your target. This thing you're doing here," I gestured between us, "isn't going to work on me."
Pushing out of my chair, I got to my feet and gathered my things before walking off. Unfortunately, he was right behind me.
Once I was in the hall he quickly moved to stand in front of me, blocking my path, smirk still in place. "What will work on you?"
"Definitely none of Derek's pack crap. My experiences with werewolves haven't been that great. The only one I get along with is my brother. The rest I kinda wanna kill half the time." I tried to walk passed him.
He just stepped in my way again. "And the rest of the time?"
"I just want to be left alone," I answered, still trying to get passed.
"What do I have to do to get on your good side?"
"Moving out of my way would be a great start," I suggested.
Chuckling lightly, he stepped aside so I could walk… but continued to follow me, staying right by my side.
Sighing, I glanced over at him as I walked down the hall. "Don't you have places to be?"
"Not really."
"Isn't there anyone else you can annoy?"
"Nope."
"Is there anything I can do to make you leave?"
"Probably not."
Coming to a stop, I spun on my heels to glare at him. "Did Derek put you up to this? Is this another scheme to try and convince me to join his pack? Or are you hoping I'll eventually tell you everything I know?"
He looked away for a moment then, giving away the answer.
Stepping closer, making him back up to the lockers behind him, I pressed a hand to his chest as my grin slipped into place. "You think you can give me that charming smirk and I'll melt away? You think that if you flirt enough I'll tell you who the Kanima is?"
I moved in closer until there was barely any space between us… and I was very aware of how close that meant. I was also very away of how it was making him feel.
His eyes looked down at me, trained on my lips. His breathing picked up, just as his heart rate did. His hands curled into fists to hide his claws as they extended unintentionally. His lips parted as my inched a little closer.
"If that's what you think…" my grin grew, "then you're so very, very wrong."
In the silence that quickly followed I heard the sound of a racing heart beat that wasn't coming from the boy in front of me. No, it was coming from the boys' locker room.
Allison.
Pulling away from Isaac, I didn't give him a second glance as I hurried down the hall, following the accelerated heartbeat. Following Allison's fear.
…
I could hear the fight already. Without even entering the boys' locker room I knew it was Scott and Jackson fighting. When I threw the door open Scott was nowhere in sight though. Instead I found Allison on the floor, pressed against Coach's door, and Jackson stalking towards her.
Extending my claws, I put myself between the two, flashing my eyes at Jackson. But before either of us could attack, Scott jumped over the wall of the showers and kicked Jackson… in the head.
Jackson fell and slid against the ground until he managed to get a hold of himself. Grabbing one of the weights next to him, he got to his feet and threw the weight at my brother. As Scott caught it, I jumped Jackson.
I kicked him hard enough that he stumbled into some lockers which were already lying on the ground. But he recovered quickly. As I reached for him he grabbed my arm and threw me across the room and into the sinks.
The sink shattered into a million pieces. Water sprayed everywhere, but that didn't stop any of us. While I got back to my feet Scott lunged at Jackson again.
Despite our wet clothes, and the wet ground, we all continued to fight. By now we were a blur of bodies, I had no idea what we were doing.
It didn't matter though. I was raging now. I was sore, wet and angry.
Jackson grabbed Scott and pushed him harder. Scott fell through the doors and into the hallway outside. I jumped Jackson then, getting onto his back and wrapping my hands around his throat.
A pair of hands grabbed me, pulling me off. Erica.
She managed to ply me away from Jackson, before putting herself between us. Stiles was there as well, pulling Scott to his feet and away. All the while Allison had hurried out to hold me back, trying to break the fight up.
"What the hell's going on?" Mr Harris' voice broke through my anger enough for me to realise where we were, what we were doing, and how many people we now watching. "Enough! What do you think you're doing? Jackson, calm down! Mr McCall, you wanna explain yourself? Stilinski?"
"You dropped this." Matt- a kid on Scott's lacrosse team- spoke up from behind Harris, offering Scott Allison's tablet back.
Mr Harris snatched the tablet away from him before turning back to the rest of us. He gestured to Scott, Jackson and myself. "You, you and you…" He paused before changing his mind. "Actually, all of you." He pointed to Stiles, Jackson, Erica, Allison, Scott, Matt and me. "Detention. 3:00."
…
We all walked into the library, right on time. Mr Harris was already there, standing in between four empty tables. Scott, Stiles, Erica and I took one, while Jackson, Allison and Matt sat on the one across from us.
"We can't be in detention together." Jackson nodded to Stiles, Scott and himself. "I have a restraining order against these tools."
"All of these tools?" Mr Harris asked- though to be honest, he didn't seem to care.
"No, just us tools." Stiles gestured to himself and Scott.
"Fine. You two, over there." Mr Harris pointed to the table one over from ours.
Scott looked over at me for a second before he got up and moved to the table, along with Stiles. That left me with Erica… on my own.
I sat across from her, leaning back in my chair, arms folded over my chest as I glared nonstop. She just sat there, looking pretty comfortable… and very smug. Neither of us spoke. We just sat there, looking at each other.
The adrenaline from the fight was still simmering, and with her face right in front of mine I felt my hate and anger boil hotter and hotter. As each second went by, it got worse and worse.
Her smug smile slipped for a moment as she sniffed the air, then it returned, bigger than before. "How's Isaac?"
"How's Derek?" I asked back, knowing he wasn't touching her anymore.
Her smirk fell completely then. Jaw tense, she shifted in her seat, trying to recollect herself. It was my turn to feel smug.
…
"Angela, can you hear me?" Stiles asked, voice low.
I nodded without looking at him, keeping my eyes on the book I was pretending to read.
"What if it's Matt?" he asked both Scott and I. "I mean, this whole thing comes back to the video, right?"
"Danny said that Matt was the one who found the two hours of footage missing," Scott noted.
"Exactly." That just seemed to prove Stiles' point. "He's trying to throw suspicion off himself."
But Scott wasn't convinced. "So he makes the Kanima kill Isaac's dad…"
"One of Argent's hunters..." I added, also unconvinced.
"And the mechanic working on your Jeep?" Scott finished.
"Yes!" Stiles exclaimed in a hushed tone.
"Why?" Scott and I asked at the same time, remembering to keep our voices low. I could hear them, but the other's- besides Erica and maybe Jackson- couldn't hear.
"Because…" Stiles paused a moment, trying to think of a reason. "He's evil."
Unable to stop myself from smiling out of amusement, I shook my head at him. "I'm gonna need more than that."
Scott looked over at the other table for a moment before turning back to Stiles. "You just don't like him."
"The guy bugs me," Stiles admitted. "I don't know what it is. Just look at his face."
Turning in my seat, I looked over at Matt. He was currently offering some food he'd brought in with him to Jackson.
"Any other theories?" Scott asked, still not buying it.
Before I could look away Jackson started groaning. He lifted a hand to his head and got to his feet, clearly in pain.
"You okay?" Matt asked as Jackson grabbed his things and started to leave.
"I have to go to the bathroom," he told Mr Harris as he continued for the exit, still rubbing his head.
"Are you all right?" Mr Harris asked, rising from the chair he's been sitting on behind the desk at the front of the room. "Hey, you don't look so good."
"I just need to get some water," Jackson insisted as he walked out of the room.
"No one leave their seats," Mr Harris told us before following Jackson out of the room.
The second the door closed behind him Scott and Stiles moved back over to my table. Scott sat next to me, while Stiles sat next to Erica, both of them looking at her.
"Stiles says you know how Jackson's parents died," Scott noted- which was news to me.
"Maybe." She shrugged.
I rolled my eyes at her. "And?"
Grinning, she put her notebook down and started to talk. "It was a car accident. My dad was the insurance investigator, and every time he sees Jackson drive by in his Porsche, he makes some comment about the huge settlement he'll be getting when he's eighteen."
"So not only is Jackson rich now, but he'd getting even richer at eighteen?" Stiles asked.
Erica gave a short nod. "Yep."
Stiles shook his head. "There's something so deeply wrong with that."
"Agreed," I mumbled.
"You know what?" Erica reached for her laptop as it sat on the table. "I could try to find the insurance report in my dad's inbox. He keeps everything."
"Scott McCall, please report to the principal's office," Mrs Argent's voice called over the PA.
Sharing a quick confused look with Stiles and I, Scott got to his feet and headed for door. It's not like he could say no…
…
Jackson and Mr Harris returned, moving back to their seats. Allison and Matt were doing their homework at the other table. Stiles and Erica were looking at her laptop, going through her dad's files. While I flicked through a book, trying not to think about how slow the minutes were ticking by.
Stiles nodded to the computer. "Look at the dates."
"'Passengers arrived at the hospital DOA. The estimated time of death 9:26 p.m., June fourteen, 1995'," Erica read from the screen.
"Jackson's birthday is June fifteenth," Stiles noted, voice low so the others couldn't hear us.
Movement caught my eyes then. I looked up to see Mr Harris packing up his things and getting ready to leave. Taking that as a sign that detention was over, the rest of us started to do the same.
He chuckled, which had us all stop and turn to him. "Oh, no, I'm sorry. Uh… yes, I'm leaving. But none of you are. You may go when you are done with the re-shelving." He nodded to the five carts of books that needed to be put away. "Enjoy the rest of your evening." Then, with that, he turned and left.
As soon as we were alone Stiles turned to me, a hopeful look on his face.
"What?"
"You're a neat freak. You love cleaning and organizing…" He shrugged.
I let out a harsh scoff, shaking my head at him. "Sorry, buddy, but you're not getting out of this one."
…
In an isle with Scott, Allison and Stiles, we worked on putting some books away while telling the others what Stiles and I had found out.
"It means he was born after his mum died by C-section," Stiles explained. "They had to pull him out of her dead body."
"So, was it an accident or not?" Allison asked.
Sliding a book onto the shelf, I gave her a shrug. "There's no way to tell. All the report said was 'inconclusive'."
Scott leaned against the trolley, trying to take it all in. "Then his parents could have been murdered?"
"Possibly." I nodded.
"It falls in line with the Kanima myth," Stiles added. "You know? It seeks out and kills murders."
"But for Jackson? Or for the person controlling him?" Allison had a good point…
"He doesn't know what he's doing… and everyone he's killed so far feels pretty random to me." I shrugged. "I'm think this is all about the person controlling him."
"But we don't know that for sure," Stiles countered.
"We have to talk to him." Scott moved to leave the isle and head for Jackson's. "We have to tell him."
"Scott." I followed, trying to stop him. "He won't listen to-" I cut myself short as my eyes landed on the ground.
At the end of Jackson and Matt's isle lay a single book, open and alone. For some reason that didn't sit right with me.
Inching closer to towards the book, Scott and I walked passed Erica and into the next isle where Jackson and Matt were supposed to be. Matt was there… on the ground… unconscious… a cut on his neck.
"Scott…"
He hurried forward to help Matt, but as he did something hit the ceiling above us, breaking the light, sending glass down on me. I ducked and shielded myself as Jackson raced around the room, causing havoc.
"Erica!" Scott growled out a warning to her.
But it was too late.
I heard he yell before the distinctive sound of a body hitting the floor followed.
Getting to his feet, Scott went to pull me up, but was suddenly shoved out of the way and across the library, all the way down to the isle we'd been in before. He crashed into a cart of books, and then onto the ground.
Jackson reached for me then, grabbing me by the throat and lifting me off the ground. I struggled against his grip as he squeezed my throat. I struggled for air, unable to suck another breath in.
When I thought I was going to black out he threw me across the room as well.
Scott was there, gathering me and pulling me into the isle with Stiles and Allison. He used his body to shield us as we all crouched down on the ground and watched Jackson.
He moved to the chalkboard, has actions mechanic as if he were on autopilot. Grabbing a piece of chalk, he began to write a message without looking at the board.
Once the message was written he moved in the blink of an eye, climbing up some shelves and jumping out of the window.
Leaning against the bookshelf, I held a hand to my throat as I tried to calm my breathing. All the while I couldn't tear my eyes off the message he'd left.
'Stay out of my way or I'll kill all of you'
Scott and Stiles got up, moving to the board, but something caught Stiles' attention.
He hurried into the isle next to mine, panicked. "Hey, hey, hey, hey! I think she's having a seizure."
Getting to my feet, I rushed into the next isle. There lay Erica, twitching and moving, just like she used to when she would have a seizure. Stiles was there, trying to help, but it was obvious he couldn't do much.
Scott moved to crouch down by Stiles and Erica, while Allison went to check on Matt.
"How is he?" I asked her, needing to know what we were dealing with.
"He's alive."
"We need to get her to a hospital," Stiles noted, looking down at Erica.
"Derek," she managed to argue. "Only to Derek."
"She's right." I nodded, knowing we couldn't take a werewolf to the hospital. "Allison, call 911, get Matt some help. We'll take Erica to Derek."
Scott looked up at me, clearly not liking that idea. "I'm not leaving Allison by herself."
"Scott, this is not a debate. You and I cannot be here when the cops get here. Because when they get here, so will the Argents," I noted. "You really think you want to be here then?"
"She's right," Allison called from the other isle.
Scott stood and hurried over to her, clearly hating this plan. "This doesn't feel right."
"It's okay," she insisted.
"No, it's not." He shook his head. "No, it's not right."
"It doesn't… it doesn't mean anything."
"But it feels like it does."
"Scott, go."
Moving to Erica, I lifted her into my arms. "I don't mean to be the bitch here, but peoples' lives are at stake, Scott. Listen to Allison. Let's go," I called over my shoulder as I started for the exit.
It took a moment or two longer, but he did as I said, following me alongside Stiles as I hurried through the school holding onto Erica as she convulsed and shook in my arms.
…
"Derek!" I yelled as I rushed down the stairs of the Railroad depot, Stiles and Scott right behind me.
He hurried out of the rundown train cart that sat at the back of the open space and took one look at us before running over. Taking Erica from me, he quickly took her over to the cart, the rest of us following.
"Hold her up," Derek order, which I listened to.
As he got to his knees, taking Erica down with him, I held her up so she stayed in a kind of sitting position, while he looked her over, trying to figure out what to do.
"Is she dying?" Stiles asked, freaking out.
"She might, I…" Derek stopped himself before grabbing her arm. "Which is why this is gonna hurt." He broke her arm.
She struggled against me, letting out a piercing scream.
"You broke her arm!" Stiles snapped.
"It'll trigged the healing process," Derek explained, still squeezing her arm as it bled. "I still gotta get the venom out. This is where it's really gonna hurt."
Erica screamed again.
Derek continued to squeeze her arm, taking the venom out of her system. By the time he was finished Erica was no longer screaming, and instead fell limp in my arms.
Looking up at me, she gave a small and weak smile. "Thank you."
…
Stiles was sitting with Erica, keeping her company while she recovers. Scott, Derek and I on the other hand had left them to talk outside the cart.
"You know who it is," Scott noted, looking to Derek.
Taking a seat on an old and heavy box, Derek nodded. "Jackson."
"You just wanted Erica to confirm it, didn't you?" Scott accused.
"Erica or Isaac." Derek shrugged.
Scoffing, I folded my arms over my chest. "I knew it."
Part of me was pissed. I hated the way Derek was using people lately. But at the same time, I didn't care anymore. I was just so tired of all the drama. Though, not enough to let me guard down, and not enough to agree with Scott's next words.
"I'm gonna help you stop him. As part of your pack."
"What?" My jaw dropped. "No." I shook my head at him. "No freakin' way."
Ignoring me, Scott continued to focus on Derek- who looked completely shocked. "If you want me in, fine. But we'll do it on one condition. We're gonna catch him, not kill him."
"And?" Derek pressed, knowing there was more.
"And we do it my way."
Rolling my eyes, I shook my head again. "Unbelievable."
Bamby
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