Sparks and Surprises
The rest of the week goes by quickly. He gets to know his new friends better during school and they had even met up on the weekend to play games and watch movies, it's the most fun Stiles has had in a long time. He went to Betty's Diner with his dad on Thursday, and they ended the day with a Criminal Minds marathon. Stiles couldn't have wished for a better end to the week. Scott hadn't even bothered him at school, probably because Stiles was always with either Sean or Mandy and refused to answer any calls or texts sent to him by the other teen.
During these days he grew closer to his spider as well, but he still hadn't found a better name for her, not without trying of course. He'd searched the internet for good names and then read them out loud for her, but none of them were good enough so Stiles had resigned himself to keep calling her Lady. It was a good name for her if he was being honest to himself, she was every bit a lady, and made sure everyone knew it. Then again that might have been his fault since he'd done his best to spoil her. He'd bought a very nice enclosure made specifically for spiders, and decorated it like a tiny jungle for her to amuse herself, of course, he didn't keep it closed. He'd even built a small ramp that she could climb on to get in and out of the enclosure. besides that, he kept picking her up and carry her to places, and she even demanded that he would bring her to places sometimes, instead of letting her walk there herself. Not that he minded, of course, he wanted to make sure she had it as good as possible.
Something more that had changed was the fact that she had grown bigger over the past few days only, instead of being just over an inch in size she was now closer to two inches. He could also understand her better than before, it's almost as if he can hear her thoughts but not really. Which made Stiles even more curious and went on a research spree, where he read anything and everything he could get his hands on that involved spiders and spiderlike supernatural creatures. Because he was sure that it wasn't normal for a normal spider to grow so much so quickly, but he couldn't find any information that specifically fit this situation. The closest thing he could find was a fiction site where they explained the difference between familiars on tv, movies, and in books, but that didn't fit much either because he wasn't a witch or wizard or anything like that. So he kept looking, and in one of the books he'd "borrowed" from Deaton, he found a chapter on sparks, and he remembered that Deaton had talked about a spark before he gave Stiles the mountain-ash that he had somehow managed to make last to finish the circle.
The book was more like a catalog of people who apparently had this spark thing throughout history, it gave summaries on the person and the most known instances in which they used their spark. There used to be a lot of these people but they were apparently very wanted by humans for their magic abilities. According to the book, sparks could do almost anything as long as they knew how to control their powers, and if they truly believed that they could do it. A spark's abilities counted on their belief, if they believed that they could turn a pebble into a big feast, then they could do it. Their magic relies on belief and without it, they might as well not have any magic at all. Maybe they can do manage small tricks accidentally once in a while but nothing big. Since they're believed to make impossible things possible, they were hunted down and often sold to the highest bidder, where they were tortured and forced to use their powers only to please their captors.
However, because their powers rely so much on the belief it was incredibly difficult to use them when they themselves didn't really want to. It is difficult enough to believe that something you know is impossible, is possible if you want it to be. So most sparks were killed off for not being useful enough, and after some time the hunters decided that it was just too dangerous with people out there that had so much uncontrolled power, and then they were actively hunted down and killed on sight until they were extinct.
If the book is to be believed though, the sparks were never truly extinct, they just got better at using their powers of belief to stay hidden to the point that any existing spark has no idea that they are one because they don't believe in magic in the first place. The book details many of the adventures of the earlier sparks and theories on where they get their powers from and why their magic is so unrestrained.
It was a very interesting book, in Stiles's opinion. One of the theories is that the sparks were created to keep the peace between all of the supernatural creatures and magic wielders and that only a spark can successfully break another spark's spells, potions, or other kinds of magic. In that theory, it is believed that a spark isn't born at the same time as the human, but at a later date when a mediator is needed to keep the world from being ended by one powerful creature or another. However just because the spark is born does not mean the human with that new spark knows about it, and the only way to know for sure if they are a spark is to believe in something so completely that it cannot be ignored and becomes reality.
It doesn't sound very practical to Stiles, then again it is a bit hard to believe something unless you have proof of it. It would be awesome to be able to make things come true by just believing in it, he wonders if any of the more trained and powerful sparks ever believed in God and if that means he exists for real. Or the other way around, what if a spark truly believed that God didn't exist, and suddenly he didn't. It's very funny to think of such scenarios. When he had finished the book Stiles kinda wished that he was a spark, because then there was no need to worry about keeping his dad and friends safe, because then he could just believe that they are and make it so. After that book, he took to doing more spark-centric research and found many legends and even theories about famous people from hundreds of years back that were thought to be sparks.
He also did more research on werewolves and other relating supernatural creatures and found himself to be an expert on a lot of them by the end of the day. The biggest problem however is to know which of those creatures exist in reality and which ones are just made-up stories. It's also difficult to figure out which information can be trusted and what is just silly stories, like with werewolves. He knows that silver bullets don't make more damage than any other bullet, unless it's made of or with wolfsbane, bet the only reason he knows about that is because of experience. If vampires are a thing that exists then what is true about them and what is just ridiculously incorrect information, like if he ever runs into a vampire that wants to eat him, would it help to throw garlic and holy water on them or will that just make them want to eat him more?
It frustrates him that there is no real way of finding these answers, which is what motivates him to continue his searching, in between spending time with his dad, friends, and Lady.
She had been given a name by her Stiles, he'd read a lot of names out loud for her and asked her opinion on all of them, but she hadn't really liked the sound of any of them.
Finally, her Stiles had sighed and said, "Maybe we should just make Lady your official name because this is ridiculous and none of them sound like they fit you either." She thought about that for a second, she always liked it when her Stiles called her little lady, she could get used to his other humans calling her Lady too she supposed. It would be weird to have a name, but it would be a little less weird if it was something she was already used to. With that in mind, she walked over to her human, and climbed up to his hand, and tapped him with her pedipalps. He looked at her then, "You like that idea?", he asks her understanding right away what she meant as if she had actually spoken to him and told him what she wanted. Maybe having a name does help her to better communicate with her human. Maybe she'll actually be able to speak to him someday, she truly hopes so, but for now, she tapped his hand twice to let him know that yes she does like that idea.
The tapping was a system Stiles had come up with to help her get him to understand what she wants better, so tapping him twice means something positive, like saying yes or telling him she likes something while tapping him three times means the opposite something negative, either no or that she doesn't like it.
He smiles at her, "Alright then, Lady it is. Mandy and Sean will be thrilled that we've decided on a name for you, although they're probably gonna mock my lack of imagination." He says with a small laugh. She likes to see him this happy, and she is grateful that she gets to be a part of the reason for his happiness. She sometimes wonders what would have happened if she had never taken refugee in Stiles's room that night, or if she had kept hiding from him rather than show herself to him when he woke up, but such thoughts make her contentment disappear so she doesn't think too long about it. After all, she did find Stiles's room and she didn't hide from him. She taps him again to show him her appreciation for him and how happy she is with him, he smiles in return and starts petting her. "I'm happy you're here too, Lady. I don't know what I would have done without your support," he says, and again it's like he knows her thoughts. That has happened more and more. The more time she and Stiles spend with each other, the more they can understand each other without really having to try. She thinks that maybe names have some sort of magic after all because he's always had a name for her it just wasn't official, so maybe now she'll get the gift of speaking to her human.
The days go by smoothly for her and Stiles, the days are usually spent with the other humans and she takes the opportunity to either rest or crawls all over whichever human is closest. Mandy and Sean have gotten used to her, she thinks because they never startle when they notice her anymore, and it makes her happy. Her human deserves humans that are kind and accepting. She has also gotten closer to Stiles's father, she likes him as well, not as much as she likes Stiles because he is her human, but she likes him well enough. He does startle sometimes when he notices her, but mostly because he often thinks he is alone, and she likes to sneak upon him. One of her favorite things is to sit on his head when looks in a mirror, his reaction to her then is very amusing to her, he tries to lecture her whenever she scares him on purpose but she still likes to do it on occasion.
During the nights, she watches her human sleep mostly, sometimes she rests as well but mostly she keeps watch over him. She has also taken it upon herself to keep his home, her territory now, safe from any and all creatures that try to wander inside. She gets to hunt almost every night, and she cannot ever remember a time in her life that she has been so well fed. She makes sure to keep everything at bay, and when she is not hungry, she drags the dead prey into the enclosure that Stiles made for her, for safekeeping until the next time she does get hungry. She mostly uses the enclosure for storing prey and eating, but sometimes when Stiles is surrounded by his humans, she likes to go there to relax. It is difficult to go from being completely alone all of the time, to being around humans all of the time, so sometimes she likes to keep to herself when Stiles has someone else to keep him company and to keep him safe.
It takes her some time to get used to having a name, it is very strange to think of herself as Lady, but she is not against it. By the time Lady has been with Stiles for many days and nights, weeks is what humans call it she thinks, that is when Stiles starts being weird. He tells her that he thinks something bad is going to happen, but that he doesn't know what and he doesn't know what to do about it. She tries to ask him why he thinks this, and he seems to understand what she wants because he tells her his reasons. He says that two of the humans that are friends with Scott, the one that hurt Stiles, has been missing from school and that he has seen some weird new people around town, but he can't prove that they're bad people, so all he can do is worry and prepare for the worst.
The days after that do not go as smoothly, her human, Stiles is not taking care of himself properly, he often forgets at least one of his daily feedings and he does not sleep as often as he should. Humans can be very fragile when it comes to their food and rest, and she will not see her human make himself unhealthy even if it is the last thing she does in her life. Lady will take care of her human as he has taken care of her, and right now she needs to put a stop to these bad behaviors.
Lady walks up to her human that sits in from of his big glowing device, computer she thinks he calls it, and climbs all the way up to his head. She taps him a few times on his scalp, but she gets no reaction so she moves downwards. She stops on his nose and starts tapping again, but now she doesn't stop until he notices her. It takes some time, and she gets frustrated that she cannot just speak to get him to notice. But finally, he notices her. "Hey, Lady, What's up?" he says, and she taps him a bit angrily and thinks loudly 'you need to feed and rest human!' and hopes he can hear her, she gives him a glare to really send him the message.
Stiles jumps back a bit and she falls off of his nose and on top of his desk, and he looks closely at her, she wonders why. He has never reacted to her that way before. "What..?" He starts to say, but stops and leans closer to her and looked her right into her two biggest eyes. "Did you..?" he starts again, but leans back again and pets her once, "Alright, I think I really do need some sleep, sorry Lady I didn't mean to worry you. I'll try to do better okay, promise," he says and pets her once more before going to the bathroom for a shower and probably some of that mouth slime. At least he's gotten one that doesn't smell horrible and makes her feel miserable. She waits for him on the desk, and when he gets back he's back to normal again, and she hopes he stays that way. He gets into his bet tells her goodnight and falls asleep almost right away. She makes her way to him but before she gets there she notices a threat in the corner, it is a small furry thing with only four legs, and a long tail. She has seen similar animals outside before, but not since she found Stiles.
The threat to her human might be small, but it is still bigger than her, and she knows there is a chance that she could lose a fight against it. But she needs to protect her human, it is worth the risk. So she quietly and carefully moves back up the desk and towards the corner with the threat. Then she goes from the desk to the dresser and starts to climb downwards. When she is almost directly above the threat she jumps on to it. The furry thing moves quickly but Lady holds on to it with her pedipalps and does her best to roll onto her back, it doesn't work right away and the furry threat manages to sink its teeth into one of Lady's legs, but she will not give up. Finally, she wrestles the threat, so that Lady is on her back with her legs and pedipalps around her prey. She sinks her teeth into her prey and waits for it to die, it takes longer than usual but this prey is the biggest she has ever hunted so she is not worried. Before long the threat is dead, and Lady contemplates on whether to eat now or to save it in the enclosure for later. It was some time since she fed, and it would be such a hassle to drag it all the way to the enclosure, and her human is very against her leaving her dead prey just lying around, so she decides to eat it and ask Stiles to help her remove the leftovers when he wakes up.
With that decided, Lady settles down and starts feeding, she is excited to get to taste something completely new to eat.
It's about two weeks after he found Lady, that he notices the strange things going on in his town. To start off with both Erica and Boyd are missing, and he knows they're missing because he's been eavesdropping on Scott's gang since the first day of school that they missed, and they're looking for them. Stiles heard one of them say that they had run away, but Stiles knows that they didn't do that. He doesn't have any evidence pointing to his feeling, but he knows and no matter what has happened between him and the werewolf pack, he can't just let them disappear when he knows they could be in danger. So he does what he always does when he doesn't know something, he researches. But the normal places don't give him much, neither of them has posted anything on social media lately, and the only thing he has that convinces him that he is right is their parents.
He understands why the pack might think that they ran away because when he was in the Argent's basement, after having watched them get tortured, he heard Erica say that she wished they could just run away from all of this, all of the drama and danger. But he also knows that neither of them would leave without even telling their parents. Boyd wouldn't because he doesn't want to hurt his parents more by letting them think he could be dead too, just like his sister Alicia, and Erica has worried her parents every day of her life, and now when her epilepsy can't hurt her or her parents anymore, sheä's not going to worry them by just disappearing. Stiles just knows that they would have left at least a clue to their parents if they had left willingly, but they haven't because then their parents wouldn't have gone to the police station to file missing person reports, they would start by trying to call the missing teens or something else like that. So they didn't run away, but then what happened to them? Where are they?
Those are answers he can't get from his normal places, so he starts to use skills he doesn't let other people know he has. Like hacking, he hacks into every pack member's phone and leaves a small piece of code behind that will send him an alert if any of them so much as write or say Erica or Boyd's names. Then he starts to hack into the CCTV cameras, there aren't a lot of them in beacon hills but hopefully whatever happened to them was caught on one of them. But he doesn't find much, he does get some footage of the two of them on the day that they supposedly disappeared but nothing that tells him what happened. So he tries to wall in their footsteps from that day, but without enough information, it doesn't really help much, so it ends with him going to all of the stores, restaurants, and every possible place in beacon hills to ask people if they'd seen two teens matching their description on the day they disappeared. Some people are helpful, others not so much, but he has the help of his father, so they manage to put their different clues and sources together to try and figure things out.
One thing that stands out is that there are three different people that keep reappearing wherever Erica and Boyd went, and sometimes they were all together other times one at a time. It's new information that can get them more clues to where the teens are. Just a few days after they found these new creepy people, one of them shows up at his school, except for the fact that that one person happens to be two people. Twins apparently, so that makes it four suspicious people. Stiles spend that day telling Mandy and Sean about his thoughts and suspicions about Erica and Boyd, and also tries his best to spy on the twins, while he at the same time does his best to listen in on any and every conversation between the pack members, that he can.
He gets paranoid and even a bit afraid, what if these people have already killed Erica and Boyd? What if he is too late to help them?
The third day of the twins showing up at his school, is the day he is one hundred percent certain that they are werewolves, he had suspicions before of course, but this is the day he can say for sure that they are. It doesn't make him feel better, but at least now he can cross off random psychopaths kidnapping teens off his list, but that just means that there are werewolf psychopaths kidnapping werewolf teens and it is not a comforting thought. There are quite a few werewolf teens after all, and he might not be friends with them anymore, some of them ha hadn't ever been friends with, but he knows them and he doesn't want them to get hurt.
He doesn't get enough sleep and he's pretty sure he forgets to eat when his dad is working, or if his friends aren't there to remind him. Lady tries her best, but he gets so into his searching that he doesn't always notice her, and that makes him feel guilty, which is why he does listen to her when he actually does notice her. But it doesn't get better, and he's terrified that he'll be too late, that Erica and Boyd will get killed and he wasn't fast enough to find them.
It's particularly bad one night, it's way past midnight on a Sunday, so no school and his friends both had plans with their families and his dad was working a double shift for the first time in a while, so there had been no one to make him eat or sleep. It wasn't until he felt Lady tapping frantically on his nose that he realized what time it was, he'd been at his desk for over eight hours straight, and he felt dizzy and exhausted.
"Hey, Lady, What's up?" He asks her but he knows she's not happy with him right now. Suddenly he heard a voice inside of his head, 'You need to feed and rest human!', it said and he startles badly. What the hell, he thinks, was that? He looks closely at Lady, was it her? Had she talked to him, inside of his head?
"What..?" he begins to say but doesn't know how to formulate the question. He leans closer to her and looks into her biggest eyes. "Did you..?" He starts again, but the thought that he'd heard her talk inside his head sounds insane so he shrugs it off, and leans back again and, pets his little Lady once.
"Alright, I think I really do need some sleep, sorry Lady I didn't mean to worry you. I'll try to do better okay, promise," he says and pets her once more before going to the bathroom for a shower and to brush his teeth, he really doesn't have the energy to go to the kitchen for food right now. He'll wait and eat breakfast when he wakes instead.
He feels much better after his shower, so he goes to bed, says goodnight to Lady, and falls asleep pretty much the second he closes his eyes. Hopefully, tomorrow will be better, maybe he'll find the clue he needs to find his missing classmates.
Stiles wakes up feeling much better than he has in days, he feels like something good is gonna happen today.
He sits up in bed and looks around, he doesn't see Lady anywhere right away, so he gets up and goes to the bathroom to get dressed. When he gets back to his room the first thing he notices is a tiny dead mouse in one of the corners of his room. He looks around again and sees Lady sitting on top of his dresser.
"Do you know what happened here?" He asks her and points to the mouse. He wasn't ready for the response he got. 'Of course, silly human, it invaded our territory so I hunted it down and killed it.' He had gotten very good at translating Lady's body language, but this wasn't that. This was Lady speaking directly to him, and suddenly he remembers the voice he heard in his head before he went to bed, and this was that exact voice. Lady had spoken to him, not out loud he thinks, but somehow she managed to send her words or her thoughts, he isn't sure, straight into his head so he could hear her.
He sees Lady move and realizes that he's been quietly staring at her for a while, "What did you just say Lady?", he asks, "Can you do that again?".
She gives him a weird look, 'Do what?' he hears in his head, and om my god, he thinks, I can hear my spider talk!
"That!", he says, "The talking thing, I heard you!", he exclaims, thrilled that he can truly know what Lady wants to say now, he hopes it's permanent. "You just told me that the mouse invaded our territory and that you killed it!", he says and walks over to her.
"I heard you speak to me, Lady! I heard you!" He is smiling really big now and puts one hand in front of Lady, so she can get on it.
Lady looks as happy as any spider is capable of, 'You hear me?' she tries, and Stiles is pretty sure he can't smile bigger if he tried, "Yeah, Lady I hear you!", he answered.
This morning is already so much better than any other has been in weeks, and he suddenly feels very hopeful that this is a good sign, that the rest of the day is gonna be better than the last few ones have been. If not then at least he can talk to Lady, and actually understand exactly what she is trying to say.
'That is good.' she says, 'I need you to dispose of the leftovers of my hunt, it is too large for me to bring outside' She finished and pointed to the dead mouse in the corner with one of her legs.