"C'mon Scott!" As I climbed up the steep hill, heading deeper into the Beacon Hills Preserve, I heard Scott wheezing behind me.

"Maybe the severe asthmatic should be the one holding the flashlight, huh?"

He leaned his weight against a tree and took a puff off of his inhaler. It was a valid point, but not valid enough to elicit an actual response from me. Not many of Scott's points were. When I reached the top of the hill, I saw what I was looking for. I dropped down to the ground behind a log, Scott following close behind.

The police force had flashlights that were scanning the forest for anything out of the ordinary. Like half of a corpse. Some men also had dogs; big, mean looking German Shepherds resisting the leashes they were bound by. I hated those dogs.

I took no time waiting for an invitation and sprinted straight for them. They must be close to finding the body, and I would be damned if I didn't find it first. Scott called after me as I raced ahead of him.

"Stiles! Stiles, wait!"

I didn't listen. I was so close I could almost taste it. Scott's calls became fainter and fainter until I could no longer hear him. It was then that I realized I had no idea where the hell I was. Trees surrounded me on all sides and the fog seemed thicker somehow. I spun in circles looking for my wheezy companion, when suddenly I was greeted by a set of fangs.

The shock knocked me on my ass. I hastily tried to scramble away from this fanged monster. It barked and growled at me, trying with all its might to escape its bonds in order to sink its teeth into me. I really did hate those damn dogs. A flashlight beam temporarily blinded me as I heard an officer's voice.

"Freeze! Don't move!"

"Wait," a familiar voice said, "this little delinquent belongs to me."

The beam of light left my field of vision and I could see the tired expression of my father. Thankfully he handed off his hellhound to another officer and I was able to get back on my feet. I was still out of breath from running and on the verge of a panic attack.

"Hey Dad," I said as nonchalantly as I could. "How are ya doing?"

"So," he said in his best Sheriff's voice, "do you listen in on all my phone calls?"

"No," I replied. Then I added, "Not the boring ones." He didn't seem amused. He never really did.

"And where's your usual partner in crime?" That didn't need any explanation.

"Who Scott? Scott's home. He said he wanted to get a good night's sleep for first day back at school tomorrow." The Sheriff looked at me skeptically.

"It's just me. Out in the woods. Alone."

My dad nearly saw through the flat out lie, but it was hard to deceive parental authority when breathless. My dad swept his flashlight across the trees.

"Scott!" he called. "Scott, you out there?"

I silently prayed to whoever was listening that he wouldn't be caught. He'd better not be. It wasn't always that I was willing to take the fall for him. There was no noise coming from the trees and my dad didn't seem to spot him. He seemed satisfied as the Sheriff turned his attention back to me.

"Well young lady," he said as he grabbed me by the collar, "I'm gonna walk you back to your car and you and I are going to have a conversation about something called invasion of privacy."

He led me out of the woods, while Scott was still very much in them; both literally and metaphorically. I really did hope he knew his way around the forest. Otherwise, he was screwed.

We eventually made our way to the entrance of the preserve where my crappy blue jeep was parked. It was a surprise on my sixteenth birthday. Sure it was old and beat up, but that wasn't a bad thing. It had a lot of character. Plus it was the only thing my dad could afford at the time. The Sheriff let my shirt collar go and I was free to enter my vehicle. I tried to close the door, but my father's hand stopped it so he could continue to stare at me with those judging eyes.

"So explain to me," my father lectured, "on what gave you the bright idea to go out into the middle of the woods, the day before school starts, and look for the other half of a dead body?" As if what he had just said wasn't explanation enough. Of course he wouldn't see why I wanted to do it. I would probably never fully understand it myself. I brushed my bangs out of my face as I tried to come up with a decent response.

"You know," I said in my best Joker impression, "I just do things." The Sheriff rolled his eyes. Apparently he'd had enough of my smart-assery for one night.

He pointed at me and said, "This conversation isn't over," a phrase I've heard so many times before. I wished him good luck on his quest to find the rest of his corpse and promised to be asleep by the time he got home. I probably would be. Frankly, I was exhausted!

I started my car and pulled out of the wooded area of Beacon Hills. Place gave me the fucking creeps anyway, which brought me back to the question of why I wanted to go on this little excursion in the first place. When I had over heard the call come in about joggers finding half of a body in the woods, I knew it was worth checking out. But there was no way I was doing it without back up. That's how I found myself on the roof of Scott's house, planning on sneaking in, but instead being nearly assaulted by a baseball bat. Apparently Scott heard me and thought I was some sort of "predator." Sure it did take a little convincing, but I knew Scott would come with me. He was my best friend after all.

I eventually made it to my street farther in town and pulled into the short driveway of our house. Our house wasn't particularly big, but it did have a second story. I made sure to leave enough space so my dad could squeeze his police cruiser past my jeep and park it in the garage. I climbed out of my car and headed inside, making sure to lock the door behind me. My dad would be mad at me if I didn't.

I ran up the stairs and turned to enter my bedroom. After closing my door I flopped down on my bed, immediately taking out my phone. I dialed Scott. The phone rang for a few moments before going to Scott's incredibly old voicemail from the eighth grade. Seriously. He needed to change it. I tried his number again but still got nothing.

I was legitimately scared for my friend at this point. I didn't think he knew the Beacon Hills Preserve that well and wouldn't be able to find the route back to the entrance. His best bet was to keep heading East unit he hit the main road, but of course he didn't know that. Maybe he was still out there looking for the body. That was pretty unlikely since he wasn't too much of a thrill seeker when I wasn't around. I just hoped he would get out of there before he got attacked by a wild animal or something.

I threw my phone to the side and headed to the bathroom, grabbing a ratty t-shirt and a pair of sweatpants along the way. I stripped out of my normal clothes that were soaked with mud and sweat until I was just down to my panties. I threw on the t-shirt and sweats and almost instantaneously felt more comfortable. I leaned over the sink as I brushed my teeth and pulled my bangs out of my face with a barrette. They really were a hassle sometimes, but I was used to it.

I splashed some warm water on my face in order to try and remove some of the grime from the day. I was way too tired to want to take a shower. I looked at my reflection in the mirror. My dark blond hair was a complete mess, but I didn't feel like brushing it. It wasn't really that hard to manage ever since I got a pixie cut. I wanted it real short, but I also wanted to have the swoop bangs. My dad was afraid I was becoming emo. It didn't help that I also decided to get a few more piercings; one in each of my ears above my first piercing on my lobe and one piercing in the cartilage of my left ear. I took out the barrette and let my hair fall down into my face. I was pale with no hope of ever being tan. Several moles speckled my face. Whenever anybody would ask about them I would tell them they were beauty marks. Because I was so fucking beautiful. So fuck you.

I exited the bathroom and checked my phone again. Nothing. Oh well, Scott. Hope you haven't been eaten. For the first time in a long time I decided to try and get some actual rest. I turned off my bedroom light and crawled under the covers. They were so warm and I was so sleepy-

I heard the police cruiser pull into the garage. I almost decided to ignore it, but my curiosity was spiked. I slinked out of bed and headed to the bannister just outside of my room. It overlooked the front door and the foyer. I saw my dad clomp in and sigh. That was answer enough for me, but I still had to ask.

"Did you find it?"

My dad didn't seem too surprised that I was still awake. He looked up at me while taking off his jacket. He shook his head. Well that was disappointing. He stomped over to the kitchen table and sat down putting his head in his hands. It was a very familiar mannerism, something I had seen all my life. I stepped down the stairs and decided to join him. I sat down at the chair to his right and he didn't object. I guess he really just wanted some family interaction right now. That wasn't something the Stilinski family was really known for, but I was willing to try.

"We're going to try again in the morning," my dad said, "but I don't know how much luck we're gonna have."

"Don't worry," I soothed, "I'm sure you're gonna find it."

I took his hand and gave him my most sincere smile. Neither of us were really comfortable with the gesture, but he did see that I was really making an effort here to be a good little daughter. He squeezed my hand and gave me a tired smile in return. He then let go of my hand and I knew that was the end of the family bonding for the evening.

"So," he said changing the subject, "are you ready for school tomorrow?"

"Yeah," I replied. "I think so. I hope so."

"You gonna tryout again?" He looked at me earnestly.

"Of course, Dad." I turned away from his stare. I knew exactly what he was going to say. That I wasn't taking it seriously enough. That lacrosse wasn't a girl's sport.

"If you were really serious about this, you would be getting some rest." I looked back at him, starting to get pissed.

"Dad, I've never been more serious about anything else."

"I know, I know," he crooned. "But you really should be getting a good night's sleep. Like Scott." Oh yeah. Like Scott.

"You know what?" I rose from the table. "You're right. I'm gonna go do that right now." I walked away from him toward the stairs. The touching family moment was definitely ruined.

"Ok," he muttered, "night."

"Goodnight."

I walked swiftly up the stairs and entered my room, slamming the door a little too hard behind me. I knew I would feel bad about blowing him off in the morning, but right now I didn't care. I threw myself into bed, wrapping myself in the covers. He knew how much I wanted to be on the lacrosse team. He knew how hard I'd worked for it. He did want me to succeed, but he didn't think I would. Well that was fine. He was allowed to believe whatever he wanted. But I was going to prove him wrong. I, Stiles Stilinski, was going to be the first girl on the Beacon Hills lacrosse team. I closed my eyes and slipped into an uneasy sleep.

I woke to the sound of the Spice Girls. The familiar tune signified that I was getting a phone call. I searched around in bed looking for my phone under the sheets until I realized that its buzzing was coming from under the bed. It must have fallen off in the middle of the night. I groggily slid out of bed and onto the ground, grabbing my phone before it sent the caller to voicemail. It was Scott. Well, at least I knew he wasn't dead.

"Hey," I answered sleepily.

"You are never gonna believe what just happened to me," Scott rambled. "Also thanks for leaving me stranded in the woods. I almost died like three times. I should have just stayed home. You should have too because I know how much you-"

"Whoa whoa whoa," I said in a raspy voice. "Just slow down." I pulled the phone away from my ear in order to check the time. "It's six in the morning, dude. It's gonna be hard for me to process much of anything right now. So take it slower, alright? Also, I saved your ass from being grounded, so, you're welcome."

Scott was silent for a few beats and I gestured for him to continue, even though I was speaking to him on the phone.

"Ok," he finally said, "listen. I fell down a hill after...well, I'll tell you later. But after I fell down the hill, I saw something."

"Something."

"Yes," Scott continued. "Something. Some kind of animal. A big, scary looking animal." At this point I was fully awake because I knew exactly where this was going.

"What did the animal do, Scott?"

"It attacked me. It bit me."