Chapter 1

She leaned into his embrace, feeling the warmth on one side of her body as the gentle wind brushed her unprotected side. She smiled into his chest, letting him stroke her chocolate brown hair as she listened to his steady heartbeat. An overwhelming sense of peace washed over her. Such a sensation was one she had not felt in a long time. It made her think maybe the concept of hope was truly possible in this crazy town she called home. Maybe everything worked out for a reason that was unknown to them at the time. Either way, she wasn't going to let this moment go...but she didn't have a choice.

A low growl pierced the soft whistling of the wind.

Rose tensed, dread filling her as fast as if she had gotten whip lashed by it. She knew Stiles had heard it as well by his once steady heartbeat turning into a rapid pounding. She leaned up slowly, meeting his dark eyes.

There was another growl, closer this time.

Rose instinctively grabbed Stiles hand, squeezing it as if it were her only lifeline. Stiles's eyes wondered, alert for any sudden movements. The woods of Beacon Hills had a numinous feel. It was exuberant and lush while at the same time mysterious and eerie. A great place for a date...if you didn't scare easily.

Snarls, more than one, seemed to echo in Rose's ears, but she still couldn't catch sight of the creatures. The sense of fear grew, not knowing what could happen next. Life-threatening situations were not foreign to Rose or Stiles, however, they were something the two teens would never get used to.

A dark shape moved unnoticed in the bushes only feet from where they sat atop Stiles' jeep. Rose was the first to sense something in the direction from where it came. She stared thoroughly in the brush and nearly jumped at every little leaf that moved in the wind. Her heart nearly stopped beating when the sudden sound of Stiles's screams interrupted the still silence.

The rest happened in a matter of seconds. The first thing Rose felt was the cold, hard ground beneath her. Flashes of darkness danced across her eyes as she blinked rapidly to regain focus. Then, she felt a pain, sharp and discomforting, stinging her right ankle. The young teen went to cry out for Stiles, but found she could not do so. As if stolen from her, her ability to speak was gone.

An ineluctable wave of panic swept over her. She tried again and again, but could not make her voice cooperate with her commands. Then she realized something. The scene was quiet. Everything stood still. Glancing around, her eyes now readjusted to the dimness, Rose saw that not one leaf moved on the trees surrounding her. It felt like time had frozen everything but her.

Still aware of her hurt ankle, she shifted her weight to her hands as she shuffled them along the dirt floor, moving herself around the jeep. Gently pulling her body over to the other side of the vehicle, she stopped cold when faced with the sight in front of her.

The crimson fluid ran through the small breaks in the uneven ground. Like a river, it flowed close to the paralyzed girl, dampening her hands and her dark-washed jeans. The source of the flood was the lifeless body of Stiles Stilinski. His chest had been torn, shredded as if it had been nothing but a thin piece of paper. His pale face was stained with droplets of blood, almost covering his light brown eyes that remained wide open in shock.

Rose could only stare, her mind blank. Her heart ached a pain a thousand times worse than her ankle did. The emotions, fear, despair, sorrow, anger, all seemed to have submerged her in her own tears that came down her cheeks like heavy rain. She opened her mouth wide and forced with every will she had left to make the noise that reflected her anger come out. She screamed her silent scream until her face was as red as her boyfriend's blood that was smeared all over her skin. Her efforts finally faded away with her muted sobs. Curled into an isolated ball, she cried herself into a slow slumber.

She gasped suddenly as her eyes shot back open. Launching herself forward, she sat up, taking in the scene around her, and calming her quick spurts of breath.

The familiar, musty smell of her room filled the air. The soft, cushiony feel of her bed was beneath her. She whirled around frantically, feeling relief fill her body as she realized where she was; home in bed.

Her gasping subsided as she turned to the small alarm clock on her nightstand. It read three thirty a.m., not quite time to get up for school. Rose frowned at the thought of trying to go back to sleep, afraid she would wake up back in her nightmare. She had to reassure herself that everything was truly all right, especially in this town where virtually nothing was as it seemed.

Rose reached over and grabbed her cell phone off her wood nightstand that sat beside her bed. She turned it on, squinting at the bright light that stung her eyes. Scrolling down her contact list she eventually came to Stiles's name and hit 'call'.

Listening to the dial tone, she silently prayed he'd answer. No doubt he was long asleep by now, but she knew he would have left his phone on for emergencies.

Sure enough, "Hello?"

Rose almost smiled. His voice sounded somnolent and crude like he was trying to talk through his pillow.

"Stiles?" Rose spoke through the phone.

"Yeah? What's up?" He asked after clearing his throat so he could speak clearly.

"Um," Rose hesitated, just noticing she hadn't thought this through. She didn't want Stiles to worry about her, but at the same time hearing his voice was worth the late night call. "Nothing, I'll talk to you tomorrow, okay?"

"Rose, seriously, what's wrong?" He questioned again. She could hear the slight concern in his voice.

"Nothing," She repeated. "Goodnight, Stiles."

Then she ended it, hung up before he could say anything else. Rose sat there for a moment, staring at her phone, and half expected it to erupt in vibrations as Stiles called back. But it never did.

Rose set it back on the nightstand after a while and rolled over in her bed. She pulled the warm covers up over her shoulders and closed her eyes. Unfortunately, she never got back to sleep.