Author's Note: Can I just say I'm so sorry! I know I said that I would update but then life happened and I didn't get a chance. I was on a last minute week long working vacation in Nicaragua. Then the semester started and between working, studying, and attending events it didn't happen. So as an apology here is my latest chapter. It took a while to figure out where this is going and I kind of don't have a stable one but it works for now. It might not update as often as I said I would maybe once or twice a month, if I have a chance. But enough disclaimers, here is the new chapter! Enjoy!
Chapter 4:
I was in the forest again, but it wasn't as dark as last time. I looked around and everything seemed silent or it did. There was some movement by a tree to my right. Now I know not to head over to the rustling bush, but apparently some part of me didn't listen and did it either way. I didn't get far before I heard a roar and hauled ass out of there. I ran zig-zag through the forest with branches smacking me in my face. I didn't want to turn around but I did either way. The same glowing red eyes were there and I turned my head back because the creature was right behind me.
I couldn't breathe anymore. I slowed down my jog when black spots darted across my eyes even though I felt whatever it was that was chasing me behind me. I couldn't see with the black spots in my eyes and tripped over something, I couldn't care what it was because it was over. It caught up to me. My heart was pounding and I could feel my blood rushing through my body. But I didn't have a chance to think because I felt pain wash over my body. My leg hurt the most and all I could do was scream before I passed out.
My eyes shot open as I hurled myself off my bed. I frantically looked around to see where I was, but I was in my room. I reached for my phone to see the time. It was only two in the morning, so it has only been three hours since I went to sleep. A glance at my leg told me it was only the nightmare and that I didn't actually get hurt. I groaned in frustration because I knew I wasn't going to get anymore sleep tonight.
I wasn't in possession of my body anymore because I seemed to run on autopilot. I got ready as though it was 5 in the morning and headed down to my living room. Normally when nightmares would happen, my brother would comfort me but he wasn't here. My whole family was back in Florida and I didn't know what to do. I couldn't take a walk outside because the forest was right there and I didn't want to see it after my nightmare. I couldn't bake because I would wake Daniella up. I holed myself back in my room with a bat in my hand to give me comfort and stared at the ceiling trying to force myself back to sleep.
I opened my eyes when my alarm started ringing. I never went back to sleep last night. I went to the bathroom and I reapplied my makeup. I left a note on the kitchen counter and headed to the office; I would rather be there than here.
A stop by McDonald's and a cup of caramel Frappuccino later, I was arriving at the office. I opened it up but locked the door behind me because we wouldn't open for another couple of hours. The food was my main priority, so I ate first. The coffee was second. I threw away my trash and was going to surf the net, but I heard the dog food rustling. If the store was open, I wouldn't be so shocked but it wasn't. I was the only one in the office; there were no other cars outside. I looked around for a make-shift weapon and all I found was the lamp or a box cutter that I keep on me.
"The box cutter had to do," I thought. Grabbing the box cutter, I made my way to the back room. "Fuck, is this what my dream was trying to tell me? That I was going to get mugged," I mumbled angrily.
I made it to the backroom without seeing anyone and turned back to my desk. "I must have been seeing –" I started shrieking because I saw the creature near my desk. I waved my box cutter around trying to hit it and I guess I did because I heard a yell of pain.
I dropped my box cutter and ran for the door but something grabbed me by the waist. I couldn't help the scream that kept escaping my lips and the tears running down my face. I looked at the creature that was holding me but I didn't see it, all I saw was Deaton looking down at me in concern.
"Deaton, you have to run the creature was just here! I stabbed it but it might still be here," I yelled in a panic.
"Alice, I was the only one in here. You actually managed to stab me in the arm."
My head turned on its own, "What? No I stabbed the monster."
He glanced down at me and let me go in order to show me his arm. His arm was bleeding from a stab wound. It looked recent because the flood was still flowing down his arm. I looked at him with remorse.
"D-Deaton, I'm sorry. I t-thought that there was something in the room a-and the eyes-"
"What type of eyes?" Deaton asked.
"What?"
"What type of eyes did you see?" he asked steering me toward my desk.
"I stabbed you and you're asking about hallucinations?" I asked with scorn.
"I'm fine. I get more blood on me when one of the animals bites me," he reassured me. "Now, sit down and explain everything."
I normally never told anyone about the things I saw at night, but I felt so guilty that I couldn't help myself, so I told him everything. I told him about all the times I saw the eyes and then the nightmare from the night before. He didn't look at me like I was crazy, actually he seemed more worried. He was probably going to fire me and send out an anonymous tip to the mental ward at the hospital.
"If anything like that happens again, you know my number, just call me."
I stared at my boss in disbelief. First I stab him, and then he tells me that I should call him the next time this happens. Why the hell does he think this is going to happen again? What does he know?
"It was just a dream, next time I'll just take some sleeping pills to make sure I stay asleep the whole night."
After helping Deaton patch up his arm, the rest of the day was quiet and ordinary. I noticed that Deaton kept coming back into the lobby because he kept "forgetting" something, but I know he was doing it to check on me. I hated it. I was only in Beacon Hills for a week or two the most but I still managed to get used to being the one taking care of others not the other way around. With Deaton's constant checking I felt like I was back home in Miami, trapped in my own home, in my own room, in my own mind.
When my lunch break came around, I was told to take the rest of the day off.
"If this is about this morning, I can handle it. It was just the dreams getting to me, that's it," I told Deaton while gripping the handles of my chair firmly. I wasn't going to go home when I could stay the whole day and be distracted. The last thing I wanted was to be home and re-watch the nightmares whenever I closed my eyes. I glanced at my leg; I still felt the phantom pain from where the monster bit me.
"I insist. Besides this is a way to do me a favor from the wound you left me. I have to run some errands and I have to close up the clinic right now."
"What about Scott? Does he know you're closing up early today?"
"I called him earlier and left a voicemail. Just go home and relax," he told me while grabbing my stuff and leading me out the door.
I huffed, grabbed my stuff and waved goodbye. What was I going to do now?
I spent the rest of my afternoon driving around town with the radio blasting, my hand on the steering wheel, and another holding the burger that I was eating for lunch. I still had an hour before I had to pick up Dani and I needed to relax.
My favorite song from Treasure Planet came on and I turned up the music louder. I was so lost in my own world that I didn't notice the car behind me until the lights started flashing.
I slowed to a stop and took up anything that I could need. I saw the cop park behind me and walk down towards where I stopped.
The male looked like a regular cop but the badge is what caught my attention, it said Stilinski.
Interesting name.
"Excuse me, Miss, do you know why I pulled you over?" he asked.
"I'm so sorry, Mr. Stilinski, I really don't."
Once again another person in this town seemed shocked by manners.
"You were going 20 over the speed limit. I'm sorry, are you new to town?" he looked at me closer.
"Yeah I just moved here with my cousin two weeks ago. I still haven't gotten to know the place and I haven't seen a sign for miles on what it was."
"Oh, well seeing as you're new here, I'll give you a pass. However, I want you to be extra careful on these roads; wild animals tend to stray onto the road a lot in this area."
"I will. Thank you so much, Mr. Stilinski," I told him with a smile on my face. He seemed like one of those cops that actually cared about people's safety. People are so different here; I'm used to everyone being an ass.
I drove up carefully and made sure to obey all the rules, just because I had one free pass didn't mean I was going to get another one. I picked Dani up and went home.
When I told her about my day, she couldn't stop laughing. I threw a pillow at her from the couch.
"It's not funny," I yelled at her.
"You stabbed your boss and then he made you go home. He's probably scared of you," she said laughing.
"Probably, I'm still shocked he didn't fire me," I mumbled.
She turned serious for a moment, "Go and get some sleep, it looks like you need it. I'll do my homework, watch some TV and then go to sleep. I'll be okay."
I pondered he command for a moment before nodding.
"Make sure you put on the alarm," I reminded her before heading upstairs to go to sleep.
As I lay in bed, all I head was the beeping of her setting the alarm before passing out of exhaustion.
The next day went by smoothly until Scott came in for his shift.
I was telling him about the story just in case he saw Deaton with the bandage on and wondered what happened. He seemed stuck on the fact that I saw red eyes because he kept asking me about it.
"They were just red eyes, why are you so interested in it?" I questioned him.
"N-nothing, it just seemed really cool," he stammered.
"It was not cool! I stabbed someone because they freaked me out so much, Scott, which is not cool at all."
I gathered my stuff and headed out the door. "Be careful, Scott."
I was almost to my car when I realized I left my keys on my desk. I headed back inside and hear whispering. I would have ignored it except I heard my name being mentioned.
"Stiles, you don't understand. She saw the red eyes! Derek must be after her. She has to be protected, what if she gets hurt? It'll be my fault," Scott whispered angrily into his phone.
Stiles must have said something back to him. "I don't know why Derek would be after her. But I'm going to find out, tomorrow."
With that, I quietly grabbed my keys and raced towards my car. I went home with my heart beating in my chest. Scott knows what I saw; he knows who is playing this horrible trick on me.
Derek. Why does that name sound so familiar? I know I heard it somewhere. I get home, cook, clean, and then head upstairs to go to sleep with all these questions racing through my head.
As the darkness took over my mind, I saw the face of the handsome stranger that was talking to Scott's date at the night of the party. Is that who Derek is?