Disclaimer: I do not own Teen Wolf or the characters. I can only take credit for the original characters/storyline I have written. Please review to let me know what you think! :)

Mid-June.

Behind the metal fence was a graveyard. Cars of all makes and models were haphazardly placed throughout the lot, all bearing the signs of their premature deaths. Hollis Griffin stared straight ahead, her green eyes scanning the twisted heaps of metal and broken glass. There were so many tragedies in this confined space that just broke her heart. She took in every dent, every missing piece and let out a shaky breath, her eyes frozen on the scene before her. A strong hand placed itself on her shoulder just then and, she turned to face her dad, Grant, who somberly stood beside her.

He offered her a weak smile as he, too looked out at the sea of wrecked cars. "The guys checking to see where the car is," he informed her.

She nodded. A wave of nausea and nerves hit her. In just a few minutes, she would see the car that had shattered her whole world. She was anything but ready.

A few silent minutes passed by, the California sun beating down on them. Neither of them said a word, not that there was much to say. She stole a few glances at the man who she used to call 'dad'. But he was no longer that to her; instead, the man beside her was a stranger, a ghost. After six long years of silence, he returned to Beacon Hills. The death of her mom and stepdad brought him back home but she had no idea if he would stick around or for how long. Part of her believed he would leave just like he did all those years ago.

The sound of keys jingling brought Hollis back to the present.

"Alright, folks, I got it!" A middle-aged man said with more liveliness than she thought acceptable for the situation. His cheerfulness irritated her and, she threw an annoyed look in his direction. He clearly missed it because he strode towards the locked fence. "It was in a stack of papers so I had to do some diggin' but I found it."

The sound of the gate opening reached her ears and her breath hitched in her throat. This is it, she thought, forcing her legs to move. She felt numb. She wasn't ready but, then again, it wasn't something someone could prepare for.

The space between each car was narrow; the whole lot felt maze-like as they maneuvered through the small spaces.

"Well, it's around here somewhere," the guy said, scratching his head. He turned around in a circle, looking down at the piece of paper he held in his hands. "Aha, there it is!" His exuberant shout made it seem as if they had just found lost treasure.

Again, Hollis felt irritated with him. But when her eyes followed to where he pointed, her heart sank.

The sight before her caused Hollis to stop dead. The black Honda was almost unrecognizable. If it wasn't for the silly Snow White sticker on the back passenger window than Hollis would never have guessed that this had been her mother's car. What stood before her now was a dented and misshapen mass; chunks of the windshield were missing, the grill was practically on the ground and the hood mimicked an accordion. The back was just as bad.

A pang of heartache so hard hit her that she almost doubled over. Flashes of the accident raced through her mind, memories that she permanently wanted to file away. But here she stood, looking at the biggest reminder of that night.

Just then, her lungs felt constricted. Hollis tried to take in a deep breath but she couldn't. Her heart thudded against her chest so fast and loud that she thought it would explode. Closing her eyes, Hollis counted her short breaths, willing her lungs to cooperate. One in, one out, she repeated in her mind, trying to get through her panic attack. Seconds that felt more like hours passed but, finally, she could feel a small amount of air enter. The world stopped spinning and her heart seemed to slow, although it was still beating fast.

Opening her eyes, she saw the concerned look on her dad's face. She couldn't get any words out just yet so she nodded, letting him know that she was ok.

"I knew I shouldn't have brought you here. It's too much, too soon."

It was exactly that. But she needed to do this, to be here even though it was the most painful thing she could do. "No, I'm ok." But let's get this over with, she thought and moved towards the wreckage.

She opened the door and the smell of talcum powder hit her. All the airbags had deployed during the accident and suffocated the car with its distinct smell. Hollis briefly remembered breathing in a lungful of that air, of feeling the little particles coat her throat and lungs.

"Hollis," Grant said, breaking through her thoughts. "I need to fill out some paperwork. Are you going to be okay here?"

"Yeah," she answered.

He stood in place, hesitant to leave her. After a few seconds passed, he nodded. He stepped away with the worker, who was happily chatting away about something neither of them cared about.

She was left alone. With a big sigh, she lowered herself into the car. Hollis searched through the compartments for anything that she needed, that she wanted to take before she left it behind. Only a few items were worth saving such as her sunglasses, a notebook that had wedged itself between the seats and a few other useless items that she couldn't bear to leave behind. She opened the visor and a picture fell out, landing on the floor by her feet. Gingerly, she picked it up. It was a picture of her mom, stepdad and herself a few years back; they each wore big smiles, much like they did each time they were together. She smiled at the happy reminder even though her heart gave just a little.

Swinging the bag over her shoulder, Hollis made her way around the car. She took in every indentation, every shard of glass that was missing. It was painful but, at the same time, it was closure. She needed to face this if she wanted to move on. But even as she tried to convince herself that she needed to do this, the bitter sting of tears blurred her vision. Blinking them away, she brushed her hand across the car. As her fingers trailed the surface, Hollis caught something that she hadn't noticed before. Five long and sharp impressions had broken through the paint. They ended when they reached the back but, there, they were also deeper. They faintly looked like scratches but from what? These looked animal like. She didn't know of any animal that could do leave marks like these yet there wasn't any other explanation.

Hollis pulled her camera from the bag and intently stared at the marks. Bringing the lens to her eye, she focused and took a few pictures. She zoomed in on the scratches (?) and snapped a couple more pictures. Why she felt the need to do that, she didn't know. Something told her that they were important or perhaps she just wanted to believe they were so she could find an explanation on why they crashed that night. With a soft sigh, she placed the camera back in her bag just when her dad walked up.

"How did it go?" He questioned.

"It was fine. I'm all done." Hollis stepped away from him and his gentle, concerned look. Without waiting for a response, she made her way across the lot. She didn't look back at the car or to see if her dad was behind her. She didn't stop until she left the car cemetery and all the lost lives behind her.

Now.

The sunlight filtered in through the window, lightly touching all surfaces of the room. The sky was a light shade of blue and, the abundance of sunshine held promise for a beautiful day. For Hollis, the only promise the day held was the one of reminders; of a life changed. She stared into the full-length mirror, trying to gather as much confidence and strength as she could for the start of the day. But everything was different now and, no matter how hard she tried to convince herself otherwise, she knew the ugly truth in the back of her mind. She tilted her head to the side and stared at her reflection. A smile stretched itself across her face but it felt too forced. It looked too forced, much as it had been for the entirety of the summer. Her eyes seemed to betray her act of happiness as well and, the smile faltered before it disappeared completely.

A faint beep brought her attention to her phone, which sat face down on her desk. She flipped the phone over and her dark, manicured nails touched the screen. A text message lit up the screen and, her eyes quickly read 'Meet me before first period? – Carter'. With a sigh, she turned the screen off before another message appeared 'Call me when you get to school.' Again, it was from Carter. Shaking her head, she put her phone in her jacket without replying. Over the last couple days, possibly weeks, Hollis had ignored most of his texts and calls. She didn't know the reasoning behind it. Pushing the guilt down, she instead tried to focus on the day ahead.

With a deep breath, she stepped into the hallway. The aroma of coffee hit her right away, a smile softly grazing her face. Making her way down the wooden stairs, she entered the open kitchen where a fresh pot of coffee awaited her. Reaching for her favorite mug, she poured herself a steaming cup of coffee. Hollis raised the mug to her lips. A sip of the scalding liquid immediately brought relief to her. The taste of caffeine was prominent and strong, just like she liked it.

Her eyes went to the muted TV. The morning news was on with the feature story about a body that had been found in the woods the previous night. She watched with interest when the video showed the Beacon Hills Preserve; blue and red lights danced in the background while the two joggers who had found the body were talking to the cops.

Immersed in the story, Hollis didn't notice her dad walk in.

"Good morning."

Jumping slightly, she turned to face him. She watched as he poured himself a cup of coffee, the steam rising up into the air. He leaned against the white marble counter and looked over at her before drinking his coffee black.

"Morning." She returned a small smile before focusing her attention on the TV.

"What happened?" Grant asked. He glanced at the TV and turned the volume up a little. The newscaster's voice seeped out through the speakers, reporting on the body.

"Some joggers found a body last night," she replied.

They watched the rest of the three-minute report in silence before the commercial came on.

Hitting the mute button, Grant turned to her. He studied her silently, a worried look appearing on his face. "You know, you can stay home if you're not ready. School can wait another day."

Shaking her head, she forced a smile. "I'm fine. I'll be… fine," she told him, with a hint of doubt in her voice. Hollis took a sip of coffee and cleared her throat. "Besides, it's the first day of school. I really shouldn't miss it. And I told Lydia I'd be in."

"Alright, if you're sure," he said. "Do you want me to drop you off? We could get coffee on the way." Grant quickly looked at the cups of coffee they both held. Clearing his throat, he added, "Or we could grab something to eat and talk. Whatever you want."

"Thanks, but I'll be fine," Hollis said reassuringly, with more confidence than she felt. How many times had she said 'fine' that morning? It was a word that weaved its way into her vocabulary. Somewhere along the line, the word had lost its meaning.

Grant nodded in response. "At least eat something," he told her. "Can't live off of coffee, you know."

"I'll grab something at school." Hollis finished the drink and placed the empty cup on the counter. "Anyway, I don't want to be late." Taking hold of her bag, she picked up her keys and made her way towards the door. "I'll be home after school."

She had made it to the front door before her dad's voice stopped her. "Hollis."

She turned to face him. Hollis held her breath, hoping to avoid anything deep whether it was something complicated like a start to a conversation or something simple like a hug.

"Have a good first day," he eventually said with a warm smile.