BEEP BEEP BEEP
The blaring noise of my alarm clock had awoke me. I groaned and hit snooze. It was 7:00am. All I wanted was too sleep more but the devilish light of the sun begged for justice to win over me. The bright sunlight had glazed through the windows. I let my eyes adjust to the dim bedroom light before switching my lamp on. I arose from my bed and slipped on the outfit I had laid out before. It was a floral dress paired with a black cardigan, a tiny braided brown belt, and black sneakers. I curled my long brown hair and hair sprayed it to its place. After applying a bit of eye make up to highlight my blue eyes, I picked up my back pack and swung it over my shoulder.
There was a loud crash from upstairs.
I dropped my school bad and bolted up the stairs and around the corner. Scott was standing in the doorframe, looking ready for school, and Isaac was lying on the floor beside a broken picture frame.
"Do I want to ask…?" I crossed my arms and shifted my weight to one leg.
Scott looked at me, "Umm…"
"We're fine" Isaac interrupted, with a suspicious smile.
"Okay." I furrowed my eyebrows, "Ready for school?"
Isaac rose and dusted himself off. They both nodded.
We all decided to walk to school. It wasn't a far walk, maybe half an hour. We turned the corner at the end of the street we were on and Beacon Hills High came into sight.
Don't be nervous. I reminded myself, you'll be fine.
I clenched my fists. I could feel the moisture balling up on my forehead and the palm of my hands starting to get clammy.
"So is there anything I should know about Beacon Hills High?" I tried to distract myself from the nerves I felt.
Scott and Isaac glanced at each other and back to me.
Isaac spoke first. "Well the sport here is lacrosse; it's kind of a big deal."
"Although we haven't played in a while…" Scott intercepted.
Isaac nodded in agreement then continued, "There's nothing too interesting about the school to be honest. We usually hang with Lydia Martin, Allison Argent, and Stiles Stilinski. They've all been kind of stressed lately though so if they're a bit passive towards you I wouldn't take it personally. Coach Finstock is pretty insa- Scott are you okay?" I looked too see that Scott had stopped walking. He was just staring at his shadow. He leisurely clenched and unclenched his hand into a fist.
"Scott?" I gave him a perplexed look. What on earth was he doing?
"Go on." Isaac waved me away, "I think he's just tired."
I pivoted and walked towards the school, nodding. That was my worst nightmare. Too be separated from Scott and Isaac. They knew this school inside and out and I didn't even know where the office was to get my freaking schedule.
I gnawed on my lip and paused in front of the staircase. People pushed past me as I tried to remain calm in my stance. I could feel myself getting more overwhelmed as I stood there. There were so many students. This was such an enormous school. I tried to move my shaky legs one by one up the stairs. Once I made it up the staircase and through the doors I looked for an office.
I searched my environment. I couldn't find it. Where was it? Shouldn't an office be near the front of a school? That was ridiculous for it not to be!
I could feel my lungs suppress any efforts I made to move. Sweat started to bead down my forehead. I managed to make my legs move and turned a right. A slight wave of relief swam over me. It was a quiet hallway. There were person at the end of it but that was about it. I faced the lockers and shut my eyes.
Breathe in. Breathe out. Breathe in. Breathe out.
I prayed no one would stop and say anything to me. This was too embarrassing. Tears started to swell in my eyes. I could feel a panic attack pending.
This was ridiculous. Why was I panicking?
"Hey are you okay?"
Fuck.
My heartbeat started to race. I wiped my eyes and turned around.
There was a boy who looked my age standing in front of me. He was a pale kid, showing the flushed patches in his cheeks, who had prominent cheek bones. He was wearing a plain white T-shirt paired with khaki's and a black and grey striped sweater. His iris' were a warm brown eyes and chocolate-colored hair that was spiked up in a messy way. His eyes were somewhat mesmerizing. For some reason his face looked familiar to me.
I didn't saying anything. I just stared.
His eyes darted back and forth from one of my eyes to the other. "You're not okay…"
I sniffled, shaking my head. "Not remotely no…"
He put an arm around my shoulder and led me outside. I collapsed on the staircase and started breathing heavily. I tried to clutch the railing for support. I could feel a pang of pain in my chest. I suddenly felt like I was underwater. The sounds around me drowned out and I could only hear my own breathing and the babble of the boy sitting next to me.
"Uhh… I'm not really sure what to do. J-Just breathe okay? I have panic attacks all the time but I've never seen anyone else have one. I should know how to calm you down. Oh right!" He covered my mouth with his hand, preventing me to breathe.
I threw my hands up in the air and pulled his hand off my mouth. "What are you doing?!"
He stared at me wide eyed. "Umm... I was told if you hold your breath it stops a panic attack. So I tried to cover your mouth." He scratched his head, "Not very smart I guess eh?"
I breathed in and out, faster and faster. "No. No… Not really."
He scrunched his eyes. "Way to make a first impression Stiles…" He spoke to himself "Try to suffocate the new girl."
I cocked my head. First impression. This boy seemed pretty similar to me, worrying about a first impression. I suppose I made one hell of an impression on him though.
"D-Do you have an inhaler or something…?" He stuttered.
I just looked at him and raised an eyebrow. I do. It was at home.
I shook my head.
He shot his glance to the ground, pondering.
I scrunched my eyes, trying to pass the light headedness that I was feeling.
"How about I tell you some jokes? Will that make you feel better?"
I didn't respond, just focused on the sound of my own breath. I was panting now. This guy probably thought I was crazy, although he seemed pretty odd as well.
"So-so this guy asks this girl to prom, right?" He glanced at me, and moved his head closer to mine which made me slightly uncomfortable. "She says yes and he's all like 'Okay, I'll go buy the tickets'. So he buys the tickets and there is a super long ticket line. But he waits."
I nodded my head, now trying to focus on the boy's words instead of the sound of my breath.
"Now he has to rent a tux, so he goes to the tuxedo store. But there's a huge tuxedo line at the store. Finally he gets out of there and realizes he has to go buy a corsage, so he goes to a florist, okay? But there's this big long corsage line at the florist. Eventually he gets the corsage and has his tux and he's gotta go rent a limo. But there's this huge line when he gets to the limo place. Once he waits in the super long line and made all the arrangements, it's the night of the prom. He picks her up and takes her down there to get in, but there's this huge ticket line at the door. Finally they get in and they start dancing and having fun and stuff, and she says to him, 'I'm hungry,' so he goes to get her some food, but there's this huge buffet line. He gets her some food and they eat and they're dancing again and she says, 'Now I'm thirsty, can you get me some punch?' So he goes to get her a drink and there's no punchline…"
I cocked my head at him and smiled. I let out a small exasperated laugh.
The boy's hands flew up in the air, victoriously. "Now there's a smile!" A big goofy grin emerged on his face.
I bit my lip, still smiling. I pulled down my sleeves and wiped the sweat off my forehead with my arm.
"This is so embarrassing. I'm really sorry."
The boy took a seat beside me again. He seemed relieved. "Don't sweat it. I used to get these all the time."
I smirked. "Thanks for calming me down." I could feel my heartbeat starting to slow and my breathing become more routinely. I got panic attacks every now again so it wasn't really a shock to me.
"You're very welcome. Now want to tell me why you had a panic attack?"
I blew out a large breath. "Well…" I started, "I decided by myself that I should move to a new state, a new town, a new house, and a new school, where I know no one except my cousin and his friend. As I do this I question if I'm doing the right thing, which now I realize I probably am not…On the way here I got separated from my cousin who I was hoping would show me where the office was so I could figure out what classes to go to but no. I walk into the school and start freaking out because people are bumping into me and I can't find the freaking office and then I'm like okay just calm down and try to find somewhere where no one can find me but then you pop up out of nowhere and I start to freak out more because that is just so embarrassing on my first day. I think you get the point now."
The boy's eyes were wide. He blinked rapidly before he spoke. "Sounds pretty overwhelming"
"Yeah" I emphasized a little too cheekily. I rose from the staircase and dusted my dress off, opening the door for the boy to step in.
He nodded in an appreciative way and stepped inside and I followed. He swung his backpack onto his left shoulder, and kept his hand tightly on the strap.
I looked at the boy as he kept his eyes on his own feet. There was something very familiar about his face. I couldn't quite pin point it though. I searched his face for something that would help bring my knowledge of him back. I looked at his hair and furrowed my eyebrows.
Hmm. He looked so familiar.
The boy glanced at me quickly and did a double take when he noticed me.
He stopped in the middle of the uninhabited hallway. "What? What is it?" He scratched his head again.
That was it.
"I know you!" I pointed to him with my finger.
"Huh?"
" You're Stiles! That's it. I knew I knew you from somewhere." I smiled to myself, proud that I had remembered him. "You used to have a buzz cut. That's why you look so different."
"How..?"
"I'm Scott's cousin." I paused, pointing to myself. "You're like his best friend. You were always over his house when I visited. I remember playing with you when I was a bit younger."
His face transformed from utter confusion to realization. He made an Oooo sound. "Anna, right?"
I nodded fervently. "That's moi!"
He laughed, dropping his gaze. "Now I remember you." His shoulder nudged mine and he nodded towards a room to the left of him.
There was the office. It was right where I walked in. How did I miss that? I pursed my lips. "Thanks Stiles."
He shot a big goofy grin at me "Hopefully you have a better day" He tightened his grip on his backpack strap before merging into the hallway traffic.
Yeah. Hopefully.
The bell rang, which startled me a little bit. A flood of students swarmed through the hallways. I chewed on my bottom lip and made my way to the front desk in the office. There was a larger woman with short red hair that didn't frame her face well. She lounged back in her chair and fiddled with a pen in her small hands.
"Um," I started, "Hello."
The woman faced me as she chomped on her gum. "Yes?" She arched a brow.
I intertwined my hands, unexpectedly feeling uneasy again. "I-I'm Anna. Anna Miller. I was told to come to the office to pick my schedule up."
The lady pursed her lips before making any sort of movement. She snatched up a piece of paper and held it out.
"Thanks" I gave her a sarcastic smile and turned to leave the office. I rolled my eyes. What a bitch.
I surveyed the piece of paper in my hands. My eyes darted across the small sheet. First was History, room 1150.
I took a shaky breath and forced my feet to move down the isolated hallway. I hunted for the four numbers I was searching for.
1050
1100
1150.
I paused at the doorway. This was it. It wouldn't be so bad. I just had to make a better impression then I did on Stiles. I flattened out my hair and breathed out a little too audibly. I'll be fine. I repeated to myself. I just have to put on my best acting skills and show everyone that I was not nervous. I had to be far from nervous. I thought back to the acting lessons that I took when I was ten. I had to be the part. I had to forget who I was and be confident. I had to convince these people that I wasn't a nervous, shy girl. I could do that.
I washed away any feelings of nervousness I had previously felt and placed my hand on the silver door handle, cranking it to the left.
"Anna?" An average height Japanese man turned to face me.
I pursed my lips, nodding in confirmation.
He flashed a welcoming smile. "I'm Mr. Yukimura. Here's a textbook. You can take a seat anywhere you like."
I finally caught a glimpse of the class. All eyes were on me. Oh God…
I saw Stiles and Scott sitting behind one another. I was a little relieved when I saw those memorable faces but there was one problem, only one seat left and it was nowhere near them. It was at the very back of the classroom in the middle row. It was pretty depressing that I had to prepare myself to walk to a seat. Knowing me I would trip over thin air and then I would be the laughing stock of the school. I slowly strutted to the only available seat in the room, feeling the stares on my back.
I made it to my seat safely and dropped my bags.
"Good morning everyone. I will be taking over for your previous history teacher." Mr. Yukimura paced back and forth as he spoke, "My family and I moved here three weeks ago. I'm sure by now you all know my daughter." He paused with a smile. "Kira."
A groan was let out behind me.
"Or you might not since she's never actually mentioned anyone from school." He clasped his hands together. "-or brought home a friend for that matter."
A thumping noise echoed behind me. Everyone turned their heads to face the noise, so I joined them. A small, petit looking girl had her forehead to the desk. She had long curly black hair, and was pretty pale just like I was. A few whispers materialized from the students.
"Either way, there she is." He continued, gesturing to who was presumably his daughter. Kira raised her head and gave an awkward smile to the class. She tapped her fingers nervously on her forearm.
I gave her a warm smile and she returned it. I understood how she felt on the first day of school. She was probably just as nervous as I was.
"Okay class. Let's begin with American history at the turn of the 20th century." He began to write on the chalkboard in the front of the class. I opened my notebook, preparing for notes. I went to grab my pen from my backpack only to be left empty handed. How could I be so stupid forgetting a pen on the first day? I cursed myself internally.
It was going to be a long day.
After biology class I made my way downstairs to the first floor and decided to locate my locker. My locker number was 267. I'm assuming that was somewhere near the front of the school. I saw Kira and her dad ahead of me having, what seemed to be, a heated conversation. I made my way around them and looked for my locker. Once I found it I unlocked the lock with the code I was given and opened the locker. I placed my books and shut it, locking it.
I leaned my back against the locker and clutched my notebook close to my chest. I tucked my hair behind my ear and looked towards the front of the school. Stiles was darting his head back and forth, like he was checking if anyone was looking, and then he put his arm around Scott. He tucked his head underneath him and they ran down the hallway together. The squeak of their shoes made them the center of attention, which I'm supposing was the contrary to what they wanted. I cocked my head apprehensively. I glanced behind me hastily to see that Kira was also watching what I had just witnessed.
There was an internal dilemma inside me. Should I follow them? Or should I just mind my own business. I was too curious. Of course I had to follow them.
I made my way too the classroom and cupped my hands against the window so I could see clearer. I leaned in to catch a glimpse of them.
"Hey." A hand pressed against my shoulder.
My heartbeat sped up rapidly. I eased up when I saw Kira's heart-shaped face. What did she need me for though?
"Anna, right?"
I nodded.
She bit her lip. "Look I know this might seem weird; but I'm assuming you're a new student, and I'm a new student. So I thought I'd save us the lonely lunch time and- and we could sit together. This may seem a bit forward and I understand if you don't want to sit with me but I thought I'd ask since my dad is pounding on me to make new friends at this stupid school."
I held up a hand to stop her rant. "Of course I'd sit with you. It's tough not knowing anyone. We new girls got to stick together" I grinned.
Her face lit up, "Really?"
"Yes" A genuine smile appeared on my face.
Lunch was pleasant. Kira and I talked about why we moved here and what it was like where we used to live. Her family wanted a change of history and when the spot of a history teacher opened up her dad didn't hesitate. From what she told me her first day seemed better than mine, probably because her dad actually worked at the school. We exchanged numbers as well. At the end of lunch we actually joined up with Scott, Stiles, Isaac, and two unfamiliar girls. They had been talking about near death experiences and demonic visions of dead relatives. I was praying they were talking about a movie… Or a psychology project…
Kira had debated for a while whether or not she should mention something to them and try to make conversation.
"You know a lot about demonic visions of dead relatives and near death experiences?"
Kira's eyes widened. She paused to take in what I had questioned before nodding eagerly.
My eyes darted from the table where they were sitting at, back to her face, and back to the table again. "Go for it then" I threw my hands up in the air.
She smiled and pivoted heading straight for the table. Her energetic personality was comical. She seemed really bubbly and full of life, which wasn't a bad thing. It may have just been her being anxious though.
Kira moseyed over to the table, with me trailing behind her.
"Hi," Kira shifted her weight uncomfortably from one leg to the other, "Umm. Sorry. I couldn't help overhear what you guys were talking about. And I think I might actually know what, uh, you guys were talking about."
She had them interested now. They all narrowed their eyebrows and leaned in.
She relaxed a bit, apprehending that they were actually paying attention to her. "There's a Tibetan word for it. It's called bardo. It literally means in between state, the state between life and death." She fiddled with her books in her hands.
A strawberry blonde girl with long her relaxed her chin on her hands and sighed. "And what do they call you?" She raised her eyebrows at Kira, smirking critically.
"Kira"
I had meant to say her name but the words didn't come out of my mouth, instead, Scott's. Kira sent an appreciative smile Scott's way as the group gawked at him.
"She's in our history class." Scott clarified.
"So are you talking bardo in Tibetan Buddhism? Or Indian?" The girl continued.
She shrugged, taking a seat beside Stiles. "Either I guess. All that stuff you guys were saying; that happens in bardo."
Stiles folded his hands underneath him.
I was intrigued in what Kira was saying. How had she known all this knowledge? I took Kira's previous place and stood at the head of the table. A brunette girl glanced at me, giving a diminutive smile as I did so.
"There are different progressive states of hallucinations." She informed them, "Some you see, and some you just hear. You can be visited by peaceful and wrathful deities."
"Wrathful deities" Isaac repeated. "And what are those?"
"Like demons." Kira spoke a little too eagerly. It gave off a disturbing feeling.
"Demons," Stiles spoke, "Alright. Why not?" He sighed, rubbing his forehead.
The brunette girl held up her hand. "Hold on, if there are different progressive states then whats the last one?"
"Death. You die."
"Hey Kira, want to come with me to my locker?"
The group turned to me, including Kira. I hoped she'd realize that this whole conversation was a little disturbing and I'd save her the embarrassment by continuing it.
"And you are?" The red headed asked.
"Anna Miller, she's my cousin." Scott shot up from the table. "I'll join you to your locker. I owe you a big apology." He gripped my wrist and led me inside the school.
We walked through the quiet hallways together.
"Look, Anna, I'm so sorry for this morning. I just started stressing out over school and stuff and I totally ditched you. My mom would be furious if she found out. I'm not usually like this I swear."
I paused in the hallway, putting a hand on his shoulder. "It's alright, Scott."
He held up a hand. "No. I really am sorry. I owe you. Name anything you want."
I laughed. "I'll think about it and get back to you."
"Alright." Scott's puppy dog eyes stared into mine and he flashed me a big grin. "Well I'll see you at home later tonight."
"Sounds good." I smiled, turning to my locker to open it.
After Physics and Math I headed home, without waiting for Scott or Isaac. I lazied around in my bedroom and spent most of my time doing homework, doodling, and on my laptop. I took a shower and changed into my pajamas as well. Melissa had left out some Chinese food for Isaac, Scott, and I to eat. Since they weren't home I got first helping. It was nice to be first because if they were here they would have eaten everything in sight. By the time I got to the food there would be nothing left but fortune cookies. I selected what I wanted and put it on my plate. I had decided to take a tray and eat in my room. I turned on the old TV I had bought from a thrift shop yesterday. It buzzed on.
There was a Doctor who marathon on the space channel, which was just what I needed right now. I laid flat on my stomach, crossing my legs behind me.
After about an hour or so of watching TV I heard someone come in the house. There was a bunch of mumbling for a while and then I heard Scott's voice.
"No one invited you hear dad!" Scott shrieked.
Somebody else mumbled something. I decided to tip toe to my door and squeak it open, listening in.
"That doesn't make any sense dad!" He screamed. "Who are you helping?!"
I looked through the small crack between door and its frame. I saw my Uncle. What was he doing in town? He hadn't visited my aunt or Scott for a long time, not since he left.
"Just get out!" Scott yelled.
"Scott-" His dad chimed in.
"I can't believe you would do this to my best friend." Scott spat at him.
His dad kept a calm voice. "I'm not doing anything to your friend. I'm doing my job."
I tried to see through the crack of my door again but they had stirred places now.
"Your job sucks."
"Some days I can't argue that."
"Can somebody please tell me what the hell is going on?" That was my aunt's voice. She must have walked in on the argument.
"He is trying to get Stiles' dad fired!"
"No that's not true-"
"What are you doing?" My aunt raised her voice.
I heard a sigh from my uncle. "Conducting a case for impeachment."
"Sounds a lot like getting him fired."
"A lack of resolution and ability to close cases is what's going to get fired." He retorted. "My job is just to collect the information. It's the job my superiors have given me."
"Your job sucks." Melissa repeated.
There was an awkward silence before Melissa spoke again. "Scott…" She paused. "Sweetheart…"
I heard heavy panting, but couldn't see anything.
"Calm down. Come with me right now."
I heard footsteps coming toward me. I jumped on my bean bag chair and grabbed my notebook so if they saw I was hear it would appear I was just doodling. I could see my aunt and Scott through the opening of my door.
Scott was sweating bullets and his breathing was labored.
"Let it go" She reassured him, "Just breathe and let it go."
"I'm trying." Scott held onto the staircase railing for balance.
I felt guilty listening in on them. I turned to my notebook and started to doodle on it. I shouldn't be snooping. There was nothing better to do in this town though…
"You told me that you and Stiles learned a way to control this. You find an anchor right? Find your anchor" she dictated.
I decided to take one last peak before minding my own business. My eyes narrowed through the small opening. I saw Scott's eyes and immediately regretted it.
They were glowing red.
A/N: Hey guys, I'm not the greatest writer, I'm still working on it so bare with me! I also forget to specify that this is taking place during season 3B if you haven't figure that out yet. Thanks for reading and let me know what you think!
