Chapter One

Back to the Start

Lydia

"Did you know that I have learned every single bone in every single animals body and I can't figure out what is wrong with this one?" Scott asks, while sitting in the back of Roscoe. I lean my hand over the counsel to intertwine my fingers with Stiles'. He smiles over at me for a brief second before looking back to the road.

"Do you have to know zebra too?" Stiles asks.

"Yeah man, but they are similar to horses."

"I have to know every paint color," I say with a smile.

"Yeah and you took AP Calculus IV," Stiles says, rolling his eyes.

"I didn't even know that was a class," Kira says.

"Me either until I took it," I admit.

I decided to double major in Biomathematics and Interior Design. I did pretty well in both. Stiles' vision worked out almost as well as he wanted it too. Of course there were a few bumps in the road, some drilling into my head and there was that awkward first date but it was all okay in the end. Malia figured it out like we all knew she would. She found out she's really interested in people and their interactions so she was a phycology major. It helped her avoid math as much as possible and it has good hope for a nice job as a counselor of some sort.

Of course we all lived together. It was a three bedroom so was kind of expensive but there were five of us so we make it work. Stiles and I moved in together when we were in college. All five of us lived together. It was complicated but we made it work. We started dating then and we only got stronger. There were other complicated things that happened but of course, that is how it goes with the supernatural world. Long story.

Stiles studied a lot but he's really good at what he does. Natural, actually. He's going to be a detective eventually. Even though Scott thought he wasn't smart enough it turns out that he is smart enough. He spent hours working but he is a very good Vet now. It's what he has always wanted. I think the reason we are all able to work so hard is because we are around people that love us. When Stiles is too stressed out or Malia is working too hard we shut them up and take them out. It's nice to live with people that you know when you go off to college. Of course that doesn't mean we haven't met knew people, or knew problems that came with them. That's another story entirely.

"Whose party even is this?" Scott asks.

"Dude! Why are you sucking the fun out of my evening! Let me dance with my wife at some random party, please!" Stiles shouts as he looks in the review mirror at Scott. He just shrugs and throws his hands up.

"Can't you do that where we know people?"

"No. You know I have social anxiety."

"And you think people you don't know will make it better?" Scott asks.

"All right! You got me!" Stiles throws his hands up and rolls his eyes. I thought I heard-

Watch out! Watch out!

Something screams in my head. I jump and look around for what it is for. I have tried to stop ignoring them or being afraid of the voices. I have to accept them and try to figure out their purpose. I have learned that they always have a purpose. It sounded like my voice. Why did it sound like my voice? Why would I be yelling that?

"Doesn't that sound great babe?" Stiles asks. I have no idea what he is talking about. I shake my head so I can try to listen to him. He looks at me with concern and puts his free hand on my knee.

"Lydia? Are you okay?" he asks.

"Yeah I'm fine. I zoned out for a second there. What were you saying?" I ask, feeling embarrassed. He looks at me like I am fragile as he does that nervous thing where he presses his lips together and blinks a bunch of times before looking away.

"We aren't going to a party," he says.

"Where are we going?" I ask. "I got dressed for a party."

"I know, which is why we are-"

Watch out!

Glass shatters and falls along a hard surface, something flips over, the sound of skidding tires and wheels spinning. People are screaming. Someone shouts my name.

"Lydia? What do you hear? I know you aren't listening to me," Stiles says. He has gotten good at figuring it out.

"Sorry."

"What do you hear?" he demands again.

"Glass shattering. Someone yelling," I say.

"Who?"

Scott and Kira both sit up to get closer to me. I try not to feel crowded. I try not to feel pressured. Just let it happen and it'll be fine. Just figure it out, don't push it away because it scares you.

"Me," I say. "It sounds like my voice."

"What are you screaming?"

I see the bright white light come from the front of the jeep.

"Lydia!? What is it?!"

We pull into an intersection. I see Stiles look in front of us as someone runs the light. I can feel it right before it happens.

"Watch out! Watch out!" I scream.

"Whoa! Whoa!" Stiles screams as he tries to avoid the car but he can't.

Someone screaming my name.

It's Stiles.

There is nothing he can do as the car hits us and Roscoe falls over onto its side. I hear another shout and then a thud. Something hurts my temple, bad. I hit my head on something. Crinkling and shattering noises rain over us as I feel sharp, stinging sensations all over my body.

Glass shatters.

Something flips over.

Something skids along the pavement as we are forced through the intersection. Someone else screams something. It sounds like Kira. What is she saying? My head hurts, bad. There's glass in my legs, maybe in my side too. I can't tell. It's hard to stay awake all of the sudden. Everything is starting to hurt. It sounds like pain. I don't hear Stiles anymore. He's out cold, I can feel it.

The sound of skidding tires and wheels spinning as someone runs into us from the other lane. We are forced backwards, still on the left side of the jeep.

People are screaming.

Then I can't hear Scott's voice anymore. Is he out? Is he okay? I shout when I feel something hit us hard. My head smacks into something and I know I'm fading out. I can't hold on anymore.

Then everything falls black.