The alarm sprang to life as the familiar tune of Viva la Vida by Coldplay started to blare through the open air. Stiles Stilinski groaned as light poured into the bedroom. Opening an eye, he winced at how bright it was.
I hate morning shifts.
With everything in his body telling him not to move, the boy somehow managed to hit the alarm and drowsily step out of bed. Rubbing his tired eyes, there was the familiar sound of steps coming across the hardwood floor of the kitchen. Turning to face the doorway, Stiles was greeted by a furry face with bright reddish brown eyes.
"Hey Zeus."
With those two words the dog came to life. His tail was wagging as the pup gave the best dog like smile to his human companion. Stiles knelt down to give his furry friend a pat on the head. After being around werewolves for so long, it still surprised him that he had taken this bundle of joy home.
Zeus was a mutt. From what the vet could tell, he was mainly German Sheppard with a bit of Golden Retriever. That was all they were certain of though. The pup had a range of colors in his fur, starting with the black that fell along his back and around his nose. He had dark eyebrows and mouth to match his black fur. Finally, the dog had deep brown eyes and a slightly red tint to his years. His long fur was a pain to clean up, but mixed with such colors truly made him a beautiful dog. Stiles had found the poor thing roaming the streets. He had told himself it would only be one night. Just one night, to give Zeus some food and a warm place to sleep. The next morning, he had planned to take the pup to a shelter, but instead found himself at the pet store buying everything he needed for the new addition.
Heading towards the kitchen, Zeus waited patiently in front of the cabinet that he knew contained his breakfast. A soft smile played on Stile's lips as he fed the pup and gave him on last pat on the head before continuing with his morning routine.
Looking in the mirror of his bathroom, it was hard not to notice the dark circles that colored the skin under his eyes. It was only faint, but it made him shutter whenever he lacked sleep and those dark circles would appear. It reminded him of that terrifying time years ago. When he saw what seemed like bruises under his eyes, the void came out from the shadows of his soul. No longer stood his reflection in the mirror, but instead it stood there, the Nogitsune.
In a panic, Stile's shook himself from his thoughts, and threw some water on his face. Looking up he saw his own reflection once again. His brown eyes stared back at him as some of the water droplets cascaded down his face. Some got stuck in the slight facial hair he was now sporting. This was of course due to his lack of enthusiasm in shaving. Taking a deep breath, he allowed himself to relax slightly. It had been five years since he picked up and left Beacon Hills, and yet every day he is reminded of why he ran. A small sigh escaped his lips as he turned away. Stile's popped his morning pill, and continued on with his routine.
Just like every morning, the boy thought back to that last summer. Him and his friends had all graduated and were moving on to the next stages of their life. Many had chosen to stay local, all that did though of course had their supernatural duties to attend to. That wasn't his plan though. Stiles had last minute decided to get himself hell out of dodge, and found himself going to school in San Francisco. The lie had been he was looking for adventure, but the truth held something much darker. Stiles lived with something dark and heavy in his heart. Beacon Hills had been a place of pain, and all he wanted was to be numbed.
The only other member of the pack to high tail it out of the supernatural tow was none other than Lydia. She was off somewhere in Northern California doing what Lydia does best, science.
Stiles had stayed in contact minimally with only Scott and his father. Sure there was a phone call or so to the others, but that is just how things needed to be. Not a day goes by that he doesn't miss everyone that he was once so close to, it sadly just seemed to be the best for everyone to keep the distance. To tell the truth, the boy hasn't been the same for years now, and it felt like he never would be. The Nogitsune still haunts him. The voice of evil continues to hang over him, even after all this time.
A shiver ran down his spine. It was almost as if Stiles could feel its presence.
"I'm always with you Stiles." The whisper echoed in the depths of the depressed boys mind.
"Leave me alone." His voice was barely audible.
Silence replace the echo, and emptiness filled his body.
He felt heavy.
He felt void.
"Wake up Stiles, wake up."
It was not a dream, and he knew that. The simple phrase has just stuck with him since the very beginning. It is what helps remind him to stay out of his own head, and to stay in reality. A couple of words are what have helped him make it this far down the road.
The anxiety in his chest subdued, allowing the poor boy to take a deep breath.
No one knew of the voice that still crept into his head. For five years Stiles hid his dark secret. Deaton was the only one who knew anything. Stiles had gone to him when it first started, consumed with the fear that the Nogitsune would take over once more. The vet had informed him though that the spirit was too weak to take over. He did not know why the evil still continued to live in Stile's head, but it was not able to influence him like it once did. Deaton's only warning was to never accept the spirit back into his mind. That would surely, let it take over.
The news had shaken Stiles, but he simply asked the man to keep quiet, and to inform him if there was ever a way to get the voice out of his head. That was of course years ago when he was 17. Now at 21 Stiles has gotten his undergrad, and is working as a mechanic to pay off his student loans. Speaking of which..
"Shit." There was no need to even look at the time, Stiles already knew that he was running late for work. Quickly getting ready for the rest of his day the boy practically ran out the door to his faithful jeep. "I really hate the morning shift." And with that he was off to the shop.
"Ms. Martin?"
"Right here!"
Lydia stepped in to the line of sight for the moving man.
"This is everything mam. I just need you to sign."
"Of course!" You could practically hear the excitement in her voice.
She was moving into her first apartment. After four years of undesirable campus housing, this was finally a place she could call her own. Well, sort of. Financially, the girl was in no state to be renting an apartment by herself in San Francisco, so she got a roommate. Her name was Carley, and they had been acquaintances during college. They had both been offered internships downtown, so it only made sense that they moved in together.
"Lydia!" Speaking of roommates..
"Hey Carley! When did you get here?" The two exchanged a quick hug.
"Earlier this morning! I was too excited to wait any longer. I'm glad I got here when I did because let me tell ya, there is some hottie living in our building. I saw him leaving for what I assumed was work this morning. If it weren't for my boyfriend, I would be all over him."
Lydia could only laugh. Typical Carley.
"Come on, let's go get ourselves settled. I have some major unpacking to do."
The two girls headed up to their apartment. You could practically feel the excitement in the air. They had majorly lucked out with this place. Each of them got their own bedroom, and shared a bathroom. There was a common area that they planned on arranging to be a sort of living area to lounge around in, plus they had a small kitchen. Although the walls were quite bare, Lydia had already redecorated everything in her head.
"I call this room!" Carley called out already halfway through the bedroom doorway.
"Fine! I'm going to make a quick phone call." Lydia swiftly moved into what was now her room. She picked up her phone and dialed the number."
"LYDIA HI!" Kira nearly screamed into the phone.
"Hello to you too Kira." Lydia chuckled slightly.
"How is the new apartment? Is everything you dreamed of?"
"It's really nice. I really lucked out here, and I am so excited for this internship."
"Oh yeah! At the lab right?"
"That's the one! I start in a week which gives some time to settle in here."
Lydia hesitated for a second.
"Have you heard from him?"
The line was quiet for a moment.
"He called Scott about a week ago. Other than that, no." All the excitement in Kira's voice was gone. "When is the last time you heard from him?"
A small sigh escaped Lydia's lips. "He finally responded to one of my million texts about a month and half ago, but that's it."
Silence engulfed the conversation.
"He'll come back Lydia, he always does." It was the only thing Kira could think to say.
"You didn't feel him die or anything right?" Kira was trying to be sarcastic, only hoping to lighten the mood, but they both knew hidden under the words was the actual fear that their beloved friend was no longer with them.
Lydia just simply answered, "No." They were both quiet again.
"Why don't you go get unpacked to clear your head? It's your first apartment for Christ's sake! Go have fun and I want tons of pictures!"
"You make a damn good point you know that?" It brought a small smile to Lydia's lips.
"I know! Love you lots! Call me asap, and plan on me coming to visit sometime soon!"
"You better Kira. Love you, Talk soon." With that the other end died and Lydia was left staring at her phone. Slowly, she began dialing a number she had now memorized. It rang once, twice, three times, and then voicemail. Taking a deep breath, she began to speak as the beep signaled it was recording.
"Hey..." Her voice was small. "Guess who moved into her first apartment today? It's really nice. I got it because of that internship I talked about last week? Or at least, it was in the voicemail I left last week... Um well, give me a call sometime? You're in the San Fran area aren't you? Or you were at one point. I'm not really sure anymore. None of us are. Anyways, if you are still around we should meet up. It would be great to see you. We miss you..."
There was a slight pause in her message.
"Please call. Bye Stiles."
Lydia clicked the end button and flopped down on the empty bed. Tears used to come with each voicemail she left, but after so many she became numb to the feeling. Why does she even call still at this point? The last time she saw the once sarcastic human was Christmas about six months ago, and that had only been for a brief amount of time. Despite the holidays she never saw him. The occasional text was here and there, and every once in a blue moon she got a phone call, but nothing more.
Over the years, Stiles Stilinski had become a stranger. A part of her hated him for it. This wasn't him. Stiles was the one who was supposed to keep the pack together, not the one to disappear. Senior year was a mess for Lydia. After getting out of Eichen House she was a disaster, but that dumb boy ended up being her saving grace. No one else in the pack knew, but for the rest of the year, the two had gotten quite close. Sure they had been best friends before, this had been something different though. Instead of being attached at the hip, their days were spent to do their personal agendas. Nights although, were spent just basking in the fact that they were both alive. Those nights were quiet nights with not a lot of talking. Just hours spent listening to them breathing. The two simply kept each other grounded. After everything that had happened to them, Lydia cherished every last one of them.
On one of those very nights, Lydia had realized something about what Deaton had once acknowledged. There was a deep connection between Stiles and her, even if she decided to never admit it.
For the years Stiles has been absent, Lydia still felt him. Many times she tried to convince herself that it was just the Banshee in her, but deep down the truth was that their connection was only amplified by her power. Stiles had called it something once,
A sort of connection, unspoken of course.
A smile played on her lips as she remembered the memory of Stiles and his buzz cut hair.
Despite everything, the boy had ended up being the one who kept her head above water. When he had first moved away, Lydia had believed things would get better and that he just needed some space. Now, she didn't really know.
Hope you enjoyed! If the chapter is short, please feel free to let me know! This is my first story and I am very excited for it! Just to clarify, most of what I write in italics is thoughts. The italics that have quotations marks are other voices that may or may not be in the heads of the characters. I have a lot of fun ideas and can't wait for you to see them! Also, would you guys like me to make a playlist for this story? Let me know! Thank you again for reading! Comments and suggestions are always welcome!
xxx fictionaddict