Chapter 2
A dissatisfied frown found its way upon Penny's features as she scrolled through the photos that were saved on her camera. There was nothing inherently bad about them—they were all in focus, there wasn't anything obstructing the lens, and they all looked to be thoughtfully composed. They were just missing that spark, the one that made them more than just a regular photo and turned it into something special. When it came down to it, she knew that it was the subject matter. She wanted nothing more than to take pictures like her parents. Her mother's always looked like works of art and once they were taken, it was impossible to see all the work that had gone into them to make them just perfect. But it was her father whom she truly wanted to emulate. She wanted to take pictures of things that mattered—things that would make you stop and think about the subject matter the moment you laid eyes on the photo. Instead, her photos consisted of things from her own life: Bruce, her new home, and her family.
She could hear her father's voice in the back of her head telling her that when the time was right, she would find her inspiration and not a moment sooner. For him it hadn't happened until he was in his late twenties, which gave her a decently sized amount of hope when she realized that gave her ten years to find her inspiration. But she couldn't help but want it now. She wanted to take pictures that would catch your breath in your throat because they were so moving. She was given a reprieve from her moping when Bruce came up, holding a large stick in his mouth.
"Coming to me in my time of need?" she asked with a smile as she set her camera down on the patio table she was seated at and made to grab the stick from Bruce, only for him to playfully move out of the way before she could do so. When she slouched back in her chair, Bruce came towards her again. She gave him a long look before reaching out once more to take the stick and Bruce let her have it, looking up at the stick expectantly as he panted excitedly. With all the strength she could muster, which admittedly was not that much, she threw the stick into her grandfather's backyard and Bruce shot after it. They continued this for another ten minutes before Bruce lay down at her feet, chewing on the stick contentedly.
"Penny, I need you to go down to the store for me. Your grandpa's run out of milk and won't take his coffee without it," her mother told her, opening the sliding glass door that led to the backyard and Penny threw her head back against the chair with a groan.
"Why do I have to go?" she whined childishly and she knew that her mother was unamused with her complaining.
"Because this is the one comfort your sick grandfather is asking for," she answered, her tone sharp and Penny glanced around the back of the chair guiltily at her mother.
"But you drove us here so I don't have my bike," Penny pointed out.
"Then w-a-l-k," Sylvia responded in a no-nonsense tone, yet still trying to avoid riling Bruce up and Penny didn't even have it in her to use the dog's favorite word.
"Can't you just leave me alone to wallow in my despair? It's the only way I'll be able to tap into my artistic side," she requested, gesturing to her camera and she heard her mother sigh as she walked out onto the patio, sliding the door shut behind her. She walked over to her daughter and sat down on the arm of Penny's chair before wrapping an arm around her shoulder.
"Stop wallowing. You'll get there; it's just going to take some time. And while you're killing that time, you can go to the store and pick up some milk," her mother comforted and Penny smiled as she looked up at her before sighing loudly.
"I don't want to have to w-a-l-k. Can't you just drive me?" she asked and her mother shook her head, much to her dismay.
"Stop being so lazy. If you want to avoid physical exercise that badly, ask Stiles for a ride. I saw his jeep in his driveway," Sylvia suggested and Penny looked up at her like she was crazy.
"I can't ask him for a ride," she replied and the tone of finality in her voice went completely unnoticed.
"Why? I thought you two were friends?" her mother asked and Penny sighed with a roll of her eyes.
"We've just met a couple of times in passing and Bruce has tried to kill him with affection every time by the way," she countered, waving a hand towards the dog who still continued to chew on the stick like it was the only thing in the world that mattered. "We've talked but I can't just go over there and ask him for a ride randomly. That would be weird."
Sylvia stared amusedly at her daughter who rattled off her explanation as if it were fact. She knew that Penny liked the teenage boy, but was nervous about how to go about crafting a friendship—with all the moving they did she had never had much experience with creating friendships that would last. She placed a kiss on the top of her daughter's head with a soft laugh.
"Well, ask him or you're going to be w-a-l-k-ing. I expect that milk one way or another," she told Penny before leaving her alone with Bruce on the back patio.
"What do you think, Bruce? Should we try and cement the bonds of friendship with Stiles by asking for a favor?" she asked the dog with a resigned look and hearing his name, Bruce looked up at her and tilted his head to the side. "I guess that's as good of an answer as I'm likely to get."
She grabbed his leash off of the table and hooked it to Bruce's collar before standing up and pulling on the black lightweight jacket that had been hanging off the back of the chair. She then slipped her camera strap across her body before taking a deep breath for courage. From the few interactions she had had with Stiles, she could honestly say that she liked him. He was both funny and friendly and had the perfect touch of weirdness about him that Penny found intriguing. She was just nervous about how to go about changing their conversations in passing to an actual friendship. As she walked with Bruce around the side of the house and into Stiles' front yard, she found herself growing slightly anxious.
"You're an amazing girl. Anyone would be lucky to be your friend," she muttered to herself in an attempt to give her that extra boost of confidence she needed as she stood in front of their front door. Before she could lose her nerve, she pressed the doorbell and waited for someone to answer it. It wasn't long before the sheriff appeared in the doorway with a friendly smile.
"Hey, Penny. How's it going?" he asked and Penny gave him a smile that she hoped didn't betray her nervousness.
"It's going good. Is Stiles home?" she responded and he nodded before opening the door wider and gesturing for her to come in.
"I'll go grab him for you," he said and walked up the stairs, leaving Penny alone in the entryway with Bruce.
She took a moment to look over the home, or at least as much of it as she could see. There was the usual clutter that came with any home and as Penny leaned over to look down the hallway into the dining room, she saw that the table was covered in papers. She knew the sight well; whenever either of her parents was working on a project, the whole house became fair game to turn into a workspace. She saw a framed picture hanging on the wall next to her and moved towards it to get a better look. There was a younger looking Sheriff Stilinski smiling at the camera with Stiles, who seemed to be about eight or nine. Their arms were both wrapped around a woman with brown hair and one of the warmest smiles Penny had ever seen. She could see the resemblance and knew that this must have been Mrs. Stilinski. A sad sort of feeling washed over Penny as she recalled what her grandfather had told her about what had happened to Stiles' mother. She turned around sharply when she heard someone making their way down the stairs, not wanting to be caught.
"Hi, Stiles," Penny greeted the teenage boy as he climbed down the stairs with a slightly confused look and she held tightly onto Bruce's leash as he began to tug, knowing how much he loved Stiles for whatever unknown reason.
"Hey?" he said and it came out as more of a question as he tried to figure out what she was doing in his house. As usual whenever Bruce got riled up upon seeing him, Stiles knelt down and returned the dog's affection with a small laugh.
"So, I was just wondering if you were busy right now? I get if you are. It's not a big deal or anything," she began to ramble and Stiles stood up, shaking his head.
"I mean, it's summer. How busy could I possibly be?" Stiles replied with a shrug.
"Then, I was wondering, if it was at all possible, if you could do me the biggest favor and give me a ride to the grocery store? I need to pick up some milk for my grandpa and I don't have a license or my bike…" she trailed off and Stiles looked at her with wide eyes as he heard her request before nodding emphatically.
"Yeah! Sure, no problem," he answered and a relieved look fell over her face.
"Really?" she asked, her smile lighting up her face.
"Yeah, of course. What are neighbors for?" he responded as he grabbed his keys off the side table before opening the door for her and following her out of the house and into the driveway. He then moved around to the passenger side and unlocked the car door for her before holding it open. He sheepishly scratched the back of his head and gave her an apologetic look. "It doesn't have automatic locks. Sorry it's such a piece of crap."
"Stiles, I ride a bike," she laughed off his apology as Bruce hopped into the car and then into the back seat. "A piece of crap car it may be, but it's still a car."
She was in the car before she could see the smile that formed on his face at her reply and he shut the door after her before hurrying around the front of the car to the driver's side.
"So, I've been meaning to ask you something," he told her hesitantly once he had turned on the ignition and back out of the driveway and she looked over at him.
"Yeah?" she asked and he nodded, quickly glancing at her before looking back at the road.
"Why Bruce?" he questioned and as he heard his name, the dog in the back barked playfully and Penny was forced to push him away when he tried to climb into the front of the car and into her lap.
"What do you mean?" she replied as she glared at the dog in question.
"The name. Why Bruce? It's almost too normal for a dog," he explained and Penny bit her lip as she gave him a nervous look.
"Promise you won't laugh or think I'm weird?" she asked him and he let out a chuckle before nodding.
"I promise," he agreed as they stopped at a red light and she took a deep breath before looking out the window.
"Um, I named him after Batman," she said nervously and a grimace formed on her face when she was met with silence. Was she really already scaring off the one potential friend she had in this town? She chanced looking at him to see that he was staring at her wide a shocked expression. Not knowing what to do, she looked ahead and saw that the light had changed to green, yet they were still sitting there. "It's green."
He opened and closed his mouth a few times as he expression morphed into one of confusion. The silence was beginning to turn uncomfortable as they continued to sit there at the green light and it was only when another car came up behind them and honked that Stiles seemed to snap back to reality with a jump.
"You named your dog after Bruce Wayne?" he asked her in a tone Penny was unable to decipher.
"Uh, yeah," she said, her nose crinkling slightly in embarrassment at his disbelief. But when she glanced over at him, she was surprised to see a smile growing on his face.
"So you like Batman?" he asked in another attempt to clarify this new piece of information he had received from the girl sitting next to him. "Like, you're into that sort of stuff?"
"Yeah. I mean, it's just when you're twelve and moving around a lot, what else are you supposed to get into but comic books?" she told him and when she looked at him again, she saw that he was shooting her a look of incredulity. "Is that weird?"
"What? No! Not at all!" he exclaimed, eyes wide once more as he quickly protested her insinuation that she was even remotely strange. "It's great! I just didn't think you'd be into any of that."
"Why not?" she asked as they pulled into the parking lot of the grocery store and Stiles shrugged.
"I don't know. Nick's world-travelled granddaughter is into comics? I guess I just never really saw it coming," he answered honestly as he parked the car and looked over at her and his reply made her smile widely.
"Stiles, my grandfather was a professor of mythology and folklore. It shouldn't be surprising that an interest in fantasy runs in the blood," she retorted with a wink, making him laugh. "Can I ask you one more favor? Do you mind waiting in the car with Bruce? He's kind of weird and doesn't like to be left alone."
"Yeah, sure. Bruce and I can bond," he joked and the dog once more tried to climb into the front seat with a bark. Penny quickly pushed him back before hurriedly getting out of the car and shutting the door to prevent him from following her.
"I should only be a couple minutes," she told Stiles through the partially opened car window and when he nodded with a smile, she made her way through the parking lot and towards the store.
But before she could get too far, she glanced over her shoulder back at the car and smiled when she saw that Bruce had moved into her seat and Stiles was scratching him behind the ears. Grabbing her camera from where it hung at her waist, she carefully brought it up to look through the viewfinder and after making sure the image was in focus, she took a picture of the two. She then looked down at the camera's screen and laughed at the smile the slightly awkward boy was giving Bruce. It was a smile she was very familiar with as it was the same one she often gave the friendly dog. Glancing up one more time at the pair, she turned back around and entered the store.
It didn't take long for her to find what she was looking for. After all, most grocery stores had a similar layout, with the dairy section along the back wall. She was a little put off by the overwhelming amount of options when it came to the milk she needed to buy. Did her grandpa want 2% or whole milk? Skim or soy? Eventually, she just grabbed the first carton she could and shut the door to the refrigerator. And then, suddenly, she felt a shiver go down her spine, causing her to stand straight up. A frown slowly grew on her face as she felt an odd sensation fall over her. She couldn't explain what it was she was feeling. For lack of a better word, it felt instinctual—like she should know what this feeling meant. Taking a deep breath, she shook her head, making her hair dark whip back and forth as she attempted to shake off the feeling, and growing slightly disconcerted when she couldn't.
"Excuse me! Where did you get those?" a high-pitched voice shouted, startling Penny from her thoughts and making her jump as she turned around to see what the source of such a shrill noise could be. She was confused when she saw a shorter girl with strawberry blonde hair approaching her wide, almost frantic, eyes.
"Um, in the dairy section?" Penny nervously answered, glancing down at the milk in her hands before looking over her shoulder at the wall that was lined with milk cartons.
"No, I meant your boots," the girl corrected as she came to a stop a few inches from Penny, and she automatically took a few steps back to put more space between herself and the redhead, only to end up backing into the clear refrigerator door. "How did you get your hands on those? They've been sold out online for months and you can't find them in any store! At this point, the only person who could get a pair would be Anna Wintour, and only if she agreed to feature them on the cover of the September issue!"
Penny looked curiously down at her outfit, looking past the short navy ditsy floral print dress and black jacket to the pair of black Acne ankle boots she had put on before leaving the house. She then looked back up at the girl, a small smile growing on her face at the girl's exaggeration.
"I think that Anna Wintour could get anything she wanted with just one look," she argued nervously and she relaxed slightly when the girl's eyes lit up gleefully at the comeback. "But my mom's a photographer and she did a spread for W a few months ago and the editor was so pleased they let her have the boots."
"You got these for free?" the girl asked disbelievingly, her jaw dropping and Penny nodded slowly, unsure of what the girl would do next. "Who's your mother?"
"Sylvia Cole?" Penny answered, only for it to come out as a question due to the uncertainty of how this encounter was going to continue.
"You're kidding!" the girl shouted, making Penny jump yet again in surprise. "Her work is amazing!"
"Yeah, it is," Penny smiled proudly at the girl's compliment to her mother. Then, if it was possible, the girl's eyes widened even further.
"Does this mean your father is Theodore Cole?" she asked eagerly and Penny's eyebrows shot up in surprise before she hesitantly nodded.
"You, you know my dad's work?" she slowly asked and the girl rolled her eyes.
"Of course I do," she replied in an obvious tone, almost as if she were offended that someone would imply she wasn't. "I make it a point to read every Pulitzer Prize winning article. He wrote his about the expanding ivory trade in China."
Penny's jaw dropped in shock as the girl in front of her recounted the story her dad had written four years ago that had won him one of the most sought after prizes for a journalist. It wasn't often that she came across anyone who knew her mother's work. The very rare occasions had involved adults who were involved in the fashion industry whenever her mother would take her to photo shoots that she had set up. But this was the first time she had met anyone who knew her father's work.
"I'm Penny Cole," she finally introduced herself once she had gotten over the surprise and she held out her hand. The redhead looked down at Penny's outstretched hand before looking back up at her face with a scrutinizing expression. But just as Penny began to feel awkward, her hand still held out and the other girl looking at her intensely, the shorter girl grabbed her hand and shook it with a dazzling smile.
"Lydia Martin," she responded and once she had let go of Penny's hand, she brought one up to her chin as she gave Penny a curious look. "Now, there's absolutely no way Sylvia and Theodore Cole were living in Beacon Hills all this time without me knowing. How long have you been here?"
"About two weeks. We were living in Brazil while my dad worked on a story but then my mom and I moved here to be closer to my grandfather," Penny told her and Lydia's bright hazel eyes lit up once more.
"Brazil?" she asked with a slightly impish grin that only seemed to grow when Penny nodded. "And how were the boys?"
"Pretty much non-existent. We were living in a pretty remote area and my dad's story is about the indigenous peoples so there weren't a lot of opportunities to go dating or anything," she shrugged and Lydia's eyes widened as a look of sympathy began to form on her face.
"Oh, you poor thing. Well, with the school year right around the corner and your new girl mystique and killer sense of style, we'll remedy that in no time," Lydia assured her and Penny tilted her head to the side with a slightly confused look.
"We?" she repeated and Lydia rolled her eyes before looping her arm through Penny's and beginning to drag her out of the dairy section and towards the bakery.
"Of course, we. I can't let you walk into the lion's den alone can I?" she asked and she continued before Penny could even attempt to answer her question. "I'm sure that with the whole sweet and naïve persona you're projecting you wouldn't have too many problems, but you could definitely use someone like me to tell you the proper etiquette. You know—where to sit at lunch, which teachers are more lenient when it comes to tardiness, the ins and outs of the lacrosse team. I'd think about wearing those boots a little more often if I was you. They appear to be lucky—you've made me your first friend in Beacon Hills."
Penny beamed brightly at the sentiment. As Lydia continued to talk about what Beacon Hills High would be like for a new student as well as lead her around the store, picking up a few things here and there, Penny realized this was a girl she was lucky to have met. Not just for her obvious knowledge of the inner workings of new school and—what Penny assumed was—her popularity among the student body, but for her outgoing nature. How many people would run into a girl at the grocery store that they had never met and strike up a conversation that would lead to a sudden and admittedly unexpected friendship? As brave as Penny liked to think she was, she didn't know if even she could summon the courage to do that. After all, how long had it taken her to ring Stiles' doorbell?
As Lydia turned the conversation towards her father's articles, the two girls walked into a check-out line and sped through at a surprisingly quick pace. Although maybe it was just that for the first time in years, Penny was having a conversation with someone her age about something she was incredibly passionate about. Maybe she had just gotten too used to being lonely?
"Alright, well now that I've got your number, you can expect to be hearing from me in a matter of hours about when we'll be meeting so that I can begin to give you your crash course," Lydia told her as they made their way out of the store and into the parking lot. They came to a stop in front of a Volkswagen Beetle, which Penny assumed was Lydia's car.
"I look forward to it," Penny answered honestly with a wide smile and Lydia gave her one last goodbye before unlocking the car door and tossing the groceries into the back seat. But just as she went to climb into the car, Penny stopped her. "Hey, Lydia?"
"Yeah?" she asked and Penny gave her a long look before responding.
"Thanks," she said and Lydia smiled sincerely as she shrugged.
"Please, if I want a chance at borrowing those boots then the only way is to befriend you," Lydia said before getting into the car and shutting the door behind her. Penny quickly moved to the side, making room for Lydia to pull out of the parking space and waving goodbye to the bubbly girl.
The wide smile still on her face, she watched the car drive out of the parking lot before shaking her head slightly as she tried to convince herself that this had all actually happened. With a soft laugh to herself, she turned towards the next row of cars and made her way towards the blue jeep that stood out brightly amongst the other white, black, and red cars. It was once she got closer that she realized Stiles was pressed against the window, almost comically so, as he watched her walk towards him with wide eyes. She laughed as he eagerly rolled down the window and stuck his head out.
"What were you doing with Lydia Martin?" he asked, tripping over his words as he rushed to get them out. She gave him a curious look at his excitement as she stopped once she reached him.
"Oh, you know Lydia?" she replied and he nodded furiously as he moved even further out of the window so that almost his entire torso was sticking out of the car and Penny couldn't help but be amused.
"Of course I know Lydia. Everyone knows Lydia. How do you know Lydia?" he rambled and he was talking so fast it took a moment for Penny to fully comprehend what he was saying.
"Well she actually came up to me and said she liked my boots and we just sort of got to talking. She's actually read my dad's work if you can believe it," Penny answered with a disbelieving laugh at the fact that Lydia had known her father's work.
"Trust me, I believe it. She's got a genius level IQ. While we're all settling into lives of mediocrity, she's going to be winning awards for ridiculously complex mathematical theorems," he told her and Penny's eyes shot up in surprise.
"Really?" she asked curiously and Stiles nodded. "She's just full of surprises, isn't she?"
"Yeah, she is," he replied and Penny didn't miss the slightly wistful tone in his voice and the longing look in his eyes.
"Are you guys friends?" she asked and Stiles snorted at the question, making her tilt her head confusedly at his reaction.
"You're kidding, right?" he replied, giving her a self-deprecating look and Penny couldn't help but frown slightly. "Lydia Martin is the smartest, prettiest, and most popular girl at school. She doesn't even know my name."
"Hey, then that makes her genius-level IQ worthless, doesn't it?" she attempted to reassure him and he just gave her a skeptical look. "Maybe she doesn't know your name now, but you've got the whole school year ahead of you and she'll find out what she's been missing out on. I mean, I think you're cool. You're into Batman and Game of Thrones."
"Being into comics and fantasy doesn't go very far with girls like Lydia," he argued and Penny gave him a long look before realization seemed to wash over her.
"You've got a thing for her, don't you?" she asked and Stiles slumped over the side of the car door in resignation, giving her his answer.
"It's that obvious, isn't it?" he grumbled despondently and Penny gave him a sympathetic look. Unrequited love was never a fun topic of conversation for the person experiencing it and she was feeling slightly guilty for having brought it up.
"You know, Peter Parker got MJ Watson and Gwen Stacy," she finally attempted to console him and he looked up at her in surprise. When he didn't say anything in response, she began to grow a little embarrassed and couldn't help herself from nervously continuing. "I'm just saying—a socially awkward nerd with an inferiority complex got the redhead and the science major. Lydia could be seen as the perfect mix of the two, right? Maybe she just needs to find her Peter Parker."
The same look of shock was still etched on his face until after another long moment he let out a disbelieving laugh as he began to smile slowly.
"I can't believe you just compared my to Spider-Man," he said and she returned his smile sheepishly. "I guess this would make her evil and incredibly rich boyfriend Harry?"
"Harry wasn't evil," she answered, her tone firm and Stiles shot her another disbelieving look, only this time she could tell that it was because he completely disagreed with her.
"He almost killed MJ and his own son!" he argued heatedly and Penny rolled her eyes as she walked around the car to the passenger side, where she opened the door and got into the car, pushing Bruce distractedly into the back as she did so.
"Yeah, before saving them and then Spider-Man before dying in his arms," Penny pointed out as Stiles started the car and pulled out of the parking lot. "Harry was just damaged beyond repair, not evil."
The two continued to argue back and forth over whether or not Harry Osborn had truly been evil as they drove back to Stiles' house. For every point Stiles brought up, Penny quickly shot it down with a reasonable explanation that led back to Harry's neglected childhood. Neither was willing to lose any ground and before long they had pulled into the driveway of Stiles' home.
"He assembled the Dark Avengers!" he shouted, waving his arms furiously now that the ignition was off and he was no longer required to keep his hands on the wheel. But Penny was distracted from replying by the unknown car that was parked in front of her grandfather's house. She hadn't expected him to be getting any visitors today. "Are you listening to me?"
"What?" Penny asked distractedly as she looked away from the car to face Stiles and he shook his head as he opened the car door and Penny followed suit, Bruce hopping out after her.
"We're going to pick up this argument later, I hope you know that," he warned her and she smiled with a laugh.
"I wouldn't expect any less," she replied and giving him a goodbye, she began to walk across the lawn towards her grandfather's house, Bruce right behind her. But just as she reached the front porch, she turned to look back at Stiles as he made his way towards his own him. "Hey Stiles?"
"Yeah?" he called, turning towards her and she gave him a curious look.
"Are we friends now?" she asked him and even from here she could see the smile that formed on his face as he nodded.
"I think we are," he answered and she returned his smile before silently turning back around and walking up the steps to the front door. But just as she reached out to open the door, she froze.
Her eyes widened as she stood stiff as a board, her hand sill outstretched halfway to the doorknob but moving no closer to open the door. That same feeling—the one she had felt at the grocery store—was crashing over her now. Only this time there was a distinctly different tenor to the feeling, almost like there was a warning in her bones telling her to be careful. She could feel her heart begin to race in fear when she tried to shake her head to get rid of the feeling and found herself unable to make even that small movement. She was finally broke from the trance as she heard Bruce beside her begin to growl low in his throat and she looked down to look at him to see that he was sitting by her side, his gaze intensely focused on the front door. Taking a deep breath in a poor attempt to calm herself, she finally extended her arm fully and grabbed the doorknob. But before she could turn it, the door opened suddenly and Penny found herself face to face with a pretty brunette who looked to be at least six or seven years older than herself.
"Who are you?" Penny asked, her voice coming out harsher than she had originally intended. But she had been unable to help it. That feeling she had felt as she stood alone on the front porch seemed to increase exponentially as she faced the girl. And it certainly didn't help that Bruce continued to growl from beside her.
"I'm a friend of your grandfather's," the brunette answered calmly and Penny's eyes narrowed in an almost suspicious manner. "You must be Penelope."
"Penny," she corrected, her nose crinkling in distaste at the use of her full name before repeating her question. "Who are you?"
"Laura Hale," she replied and she then looked Penny over before cautiously extended her hand to hers in greeting. Penny glanced down at the outstretched hand before raising her own to shake it. "I'm sure I'll be seeing you around."
Penny was unable to ask what her cryptic response meant as Laura went to move out of the doorway, only to be stopped by Bruce, who snarled at the girl when she tried to pass him. Laura looked at her before looking down at the dog and Penny grabbed onto Bruce's collar and pulled him from the girl's path, surprised at the show of hostility from her usually friendly pet.
"Sorry, he's not usually like this," Penny apologized and Laura smirked at her as she walked past the two.
"It's okay. Dogs never seem to like me," she told her and the way she said it made Penny think she was telling some inside joke that Penny was clearly not meant to get. Penny watched as Laura walked down the steps and towards her car before getting in and eventually driving off down the street. Her eyes were fixed on the car until it turned the corner and she could no longer see it. She then looked down at Bruce who had stopped growling but still seemed to be on edge.
"You okay?" she asked him quietly and he looked up at her silently, his head tilted to the side. She returned the dog's gaze before sighing and walking into the house and when she saw that Bruce was still sitting on the porch, she gestured for him to come in, which he only did after a long pause. "Good boy."
She then shut the door behind the dog and began to make her way towards the kitchen with the milk she had bought. But as she rounded the hallway's corner, she stopped with a curious look as she heard voices coming from behind the closed door of her grandfather's office. She silently crept closer in an attempt to hear what was being said.
"You know it was the Argents," she heard her mother state in a matter-of-fact tone and Penny's brow furrowed in confusion.
"Not all of them," her grandfather corrected firmly and her mother sighed. "Just one."
"One or all of them, they've messed with the balance more than once. And Laura's close to figuring it out."
Penny was growing more and more confused by the second. Who was Laura Hale to her mother and grandfather? Who were the Argents and what did they do? And there was something in her mother's tone that Penny had trouble identifying. It almost sounded like she was sad, but why?
"She won't. You know that," Nick gently said and her mother let out yet another sigh. "It's coming. She only has another week or so."
"I know," Sylvia replied forcefully, as if she hated to be remained about whatever this deadline represented. "Look, Penny's going to be back soon. We'll talk about this later."
At this, Penny scrambled away from the door and into the kitchen, desperate not to be caught listening in on whatever the conversation meant that she was certainly not supposed to hear. She set the grocery bag containing the milk carton on the counter and shrugged off her jacket, hanging it over the back of a kitchen chair. In an attempt to make it look like she was busy with something else, she slipped her camera strap over her head and lifted her camera up to look at the screen and scroll through the pictures as she leaned forward against the counter. She let out a soft laugh at the first picture that came up—the one she had snapped of Stiles and Bruce.
"Penny? When did you get back?" her mother asked, clearly startled at seeing her daughter standing unexpectedly in the kitchen. Penny noted that although she was surprised, she gave away no hint of worry that her daughter had overheard anything she and Nick were talking about. Was she that sure or was she just that good at pretending?
"A little bit ago. I got the milk," she answered, gesturing to the bag on the counter and Sylvia nodded appreciatively.
"Thanks, sweetheart. I appreciate it. Can you put it away? I've got to go ask your grandfather whether or not he still wants his coffee. You know how fickle he can be," Sylvia told her, the last part coming out in a grumble, betraying her annoyance at Nick's often fussy behavior when it came to his food.
"Sure," she said and Sylvia left the kitchen. Penny took the milk out of the bag, before throwing the bag into the garbage can. She made her way towards the refrigerator and opened up the door, getting ready to put the milk on one of the shelves. However, she stopped as she saw an already full milk jug sitting on the shelf right at her eye-level. She looked at it for a long moment before glancing towards the hallway that led to her grandfather's study. What was so important about this meeting with Laura Hale that they would make up an errand to get her out of the house?
Sorry this took a little longer to get out than I wanted to! I was having a little trouble with it and I hope it doesn't show. I'm also hoping it's not too cliché to have my character meeting Lydia so soon. I've just got so many ideas for interactions between the two that I wanted to introduce them as possible so I could start writing them! Also, I changed Penny's last name, but there's a reason for that. Just didn't want anyone getting confused when they saw it. Hopefully I didn't write anyone OOC and introduced enough mystery to keep you guys interested.
Thanks so much to xXbriannaXx, X23 Maximoff, pushingdaisiesxx, heroherondaletotherescue, prettyargents, and lovelikewoe13 for their amazing reviews! It makes me so happy that you guys are actually liking the story! Thanks also to everyone who's followed or favorited! The next update probably won't be up until the middle of next week. I'm moving back on campus this weekend and am a little busy getting ready and won't have that much time this weekend but hope I can get it up soon! Please let me know what you guys think of this one, I really do appreciate the feedback!