So, I changed the first few chapters because, looking back on them, I don't know, I didn't like 'em. Though, I barely changed this chapter much at all.
Like I said, firsts are always a bit rough for me, but let me know what you think.
Chapter One
He found Laura by the fallen tree, the part of her that was left for him to find. He sank down to the wet, filthy ground along with his heart. He laid his jacket over her torso, brushed the hair from her face, which was frozen in a picture of fear.
Then there was a light; a flashlight shining in his way. There was the outline of a woman behind other yellow beams. She paused, shining it around and putting her hand on her hip, just barely missing him.
He picked up the torso of his sister, wrapping it in his jacket and carrying her home.
Amelia combed through the trees, shining the light around the trunks. She stopped suddenly; a sound seeming to erupt through the sounds of footsteps of other policemen behind her. It was a whimper, the sound. Like a dog being injured.
She put her hand on the gun.
"Mia."
She jumped and spun to face the sheriff.
"You think you found something?" He asked.
"Heard something," she told him, stepping in the direction of the sound. "Like a dog or something. Over here."
Sheriff Stilinski strode over along with her by a fallen tree. She shined the light over the leaves and the dirt, a spatter of scarlet across the fallen trunk catching her gaze.
"Is that blood?"
She kneeled down and got a closer look, shrugging, "I don't think its paint."
The sheriff spoke into the walkie, calling for a spatter detective. Mia stood up, looking back over her shoulder.
There was no more evidence to be found.
"I'll put up a marker," Sheriff told her. She nodded, "I'll keep looking."
The rest of the search was a bust, but she found it entirely exciting. Her first real case and she'd found the blood. It wasn't necessarily a good sign for the victim, but for her job, it would be.
"Ah!"
Mia jumped on her feet like a cat, running in the direction of the yell and head on into a herd of deer. She flew behind a tree, keeping herself flat against the thunder of hooves. Head bent into her shoulder, she looked over to a man running off into the distance. Well, more like a kid.
Mia got a better view of him and pursed her lips.
More like a Scott.
"Scott!" She called in a half-whisper. "Scott you better get out here in a matter of ten seconds."
Not another sign of Scott until another cry bolted through the atmosphere. Mia took off, weaving through every obstacle with ease, thanks to her training. She looked left and right, jumping over a log, ducking under a branch. Her ponytail licked her cheek with a sudden burst of air, like a breeze from someone running past.
"Mia!"
She spun to face Scott, who held his side, grimacing.
"Scott?" She asked, putting a hand on his shoulder. "Scott, what happened?"
He leaned forward, his forehead beaded with sweat, gasping, "There, there was a wolf."
"A wolf?" She asked, her tone taking a turn for sarcasm: Are you screwing with me?
"Yeah," He stuttered, "I heard it. It…" Scott trailed off, holding his side, debating if he should tell her. It wasn't bleeding much. "Chased…me."
She rolled her eyes, "That's the worst excuse you've given me in a while."
"But it's-"
"You know, I told you and Stiles that if you came sneaking around these cases-"
"Stiles already got caught," Scott sulked.
"Good," she said. "One less parent I have to talk to."
"Mia, please don't tell her," he said, looking up to his old babysitter. She looked down and groaned at the puppy-dog look.
"That worked when you were ten," Mia told him, referring to him giving her the guilt-trip to get him and Stilinski out of trouble.
Scott sighed and held his side again, deciding not to tell her. He'd get into so much trouble with trouble with his mother, and he could just get Deaton to give a statement on it.
"Are you okay?" She asked, noticing his wince.
He nodded, "Yeah, just winded. From the wolf chasing me."
Mia rolled her eyes, "Come on, I'll drive you home before the rest of 'em arrest you."
Scott nodded and followed her back, praying to God the puppy-dog face was working.
Mia sat at the desk with Mr. Stilinski, going through missing persons reports.
"Think she's any of them?" She asked.
The sheriff shook his head, "No, most of the women are too young."
Mia nodded and looked at her watch, "Crap, I have to call it a night. Babysitter'll ask for more pay."
Stilinski scoffed and nodded, "Yeah. I'll let you know if we find anything."
"Thanks," she mumbled, shrugging on her coat and pulling her ponytail out from under her collar.
Tara sat at the desk, fumbling through police reports, nodding a goodbye as Mia passed. Mia nodded back and swung open the door, jumping into her car and turning on the radio, adjusting the rearview mirror.
"What, the hell?" She whispered, watching something large and black slink its way through the shadows of the parking lot, then delving back through the trees. Mia blinked her eyes roughly, looking back and seeing nothing.
She sighed, shaking her head and looking at the time: 3:42
"Sleep," She murmured, "that's what you need…And locks…A lot of door locks."
It wasn't a very long drive home: a small little house just outside of town, no more than two miles.
"Hey," she whispered, opening the door to see the babysitter still watching television.
"Hi, Mrs. Roscoe," she said, standing up. The teen was a bit shorter compared to Mia, but only a few years younger.
"I am so sorry," Mia apologized. "I didn't know the search was going to be so long."
"That's okay," she told her, "I'm more nocturnal."
Mia laughed at the weak joke and grabbed her small wallet from the countertop, pulling out a few dollar bills, "How's thirty sound?"
"Great," she told her excitedly, "More than you promised, actually."
"I kept you up until four in the morning, you deserve a tip."
The babysitter smiled and flipped her golden hair over her shoulder. She took the money from Mia's hands and said, "Thank you. Oh, and Vivienne's in your bed. She said there were monsters under hers. I couldn't get her to sleep in hers."
Mia rolled her eyes and chuckled, "Don't worry about it. She hardly sleeps in her own bed, anyways."
She smiled and nodded another 'thank you', sneaking out the door while Mia shrugged off her coat and unbuttoned her shirt, pulling her tank-top down after undoing the belt and putting it in the top shelf of the cupboard where Vivienne would never get at it.
"Mommy?"
Mia turned to see little Vivienne by the hallway rubbing her eyes, her curls spun into a rat's nest.
"What are you doing up?" She asked, fluffing the tiny girl's hair.
She looked up, her eyes dull with sleep, "Heared you."
Mia picked her up and carried her to her own room, gently setting Vivienne on her little Disney Princess covered sheets.
"You know there's nothing under your bed, babe." She said, covering her up with the tiny comforter.
Vivienne shook her head, "Is ou'side."
Mia looked over and saw the pink curtains were open, "You saw something outside?"
Vivienne shook her head again, pausing and then telling her, "I heared it."
"And what did you hear?"
She paused and looked back outside, to where the trees just barely started on their route to the rest of the forest. Then, she looked up to her mother and answered, "It wassa big doggy."
Mia nodded, remembering the whimper she'd heard in the woods.
"Well," she stood and walked over to the window, "there won't any doggies getting in here," Mia closed the curtains and then sat back on the small bed, "will there?"
Mia kissed the top of her head, reminding herself to give Vivienne a bath tomorrow.
Vivienne looked up and yawned, her breath faintly smelling of mint toothpaste. She smiled up at Mia and then rolled over, clutching her pillow like a teddy bear.
