Stiles stood in Scott's bedroom and stared at the only obvious evidence that Scott had been taken by force.
Blood. Not so much that it would put a healthy werewolf in too much danger. Probably. But enough that it was concerning to see. Otherwise, the room was untouched, at least by the destruction that wasn't created by teenage boys. The bed was disarranged, the blankets half on the floor, making it obvious that Scott's sleep had been interrupted. There were a few pieces of clothing strewn about but that was fairly normal, nothing to give Stiles a clue about his best friend's whereabouts. No broken furniture to indicate a fight, nothing out of place in any manner to suggest a real struggle.
Stiles knew this already because he'd inspected the room from corner to corner four times, and every time he came right back to the one thing that might tell him anything. The blood.
There was a central pool of it, with two half-moon patterns. It had taken Stiles only a few minutes to figure out what those patterns impressed into the blood-soaked carpet could be. It was a void that could have been created only by the indents of Scott's knees as the blood pooled around them. Scott had been kneeling while he'd lost blood.
There were also a few spatters on the window sill near the bed and the lower wall under the window. Also on the bedding, barely two feet away from the saturated pool in the carpet. Whatever had happened there had happened painfully.
That spot was going to be forever ruined for Stiles. In this house that had been like his second home, in this bedroom that he'd spent as much time in as his own, he knew every inch. He'd sprawled and wrestled and played and slept over every inch of the bedroom. He remembered sitting in that very spot countless times to play Spider-Man vs. He-Man action figures with Scott when they were eight. He remembered throwing his sleeping bag over that spot every time Melissa finally forced them to close their eyes and sleep.
Now that spot was tarnished. It was full of his friend's blood and pain.
Stiles could hear his father in the hall consoling Melissa. His father spoke evenly of calling his men and beginning a search. It was what one did for a missing person.
But this wasn't just a missing person. This was Scott. This was Stiles' best friend. His brother.
And he wasn't just a teenage boy. It was time to make a call of his own.
In the hall, the sheriff raised his cell phone to his ear at the same moment that Stiles hit one of his speed-dials and raised his own cell. Their eyes met through the doorway and held for several seconds. It was a testament to how accustomed Stiles' dad was becoming with Beacon Hills supernatural underbelly that his only acknowledgment was a resigned nod before he turned his attention to whoever answered his call.
They both had a cavalry and they both knew which one would probably be the more successful.
"I swear to God I'm going to kill him when I see him," Stiles fumed when his call went unanswered once again. Pushing the END CALL icon on his touch screen just wasn't enough to express his anger and agitation. His cell phone clattered as he set it down unnecessarily hard on the table top.
"Does he make a habit of ignoring calls or staying out of contact?" Derek asked.
"I'm sure he's just out for a run or something," Mason suggested unconvincingly.
"Have you tried calling his parents?" Lydia asked Mason.
Mason hesitated before answering. "Yes...Dr. Geyer says he hasn't seen Liam today. He was called to the hospital around four AM. He left a note for Liam but hasn't been home yet. His mom is out of town visiting her sister. Do you know how hard it is to ask parents if they've seen their kid without making them panic, by the way? It's not easy."
Mason's complaint went ignored.
"We can do this without him, then," Malia stated. She was clearly losing patience. "We're wasting time."
"Do what?" Kira asked softly, helplessly. "We don't even know where he is or what's happened to him yet. What is there to do? What can we do?"
"Find out," Lydia supplied simply. "Like you said. We can't help Scott until we find him, so that's our first step. Find him, or at least get an idea of where he might be."
"Has your dad gotten anything yet?" Derek directed his question to Stiles.
"Not last time I talked to him. I'll give him another call."
"We can probably track his scent from his bedroom," Malia suggested.
"That's plan A," Stiles confirmed. "Dad wanted us to wait until his officers were done at the scene..." he faltered a bit "...I mean Scott's house," he amended softly. He pulled in a shaky breath, fighting for control of his emotions. Lydia watched him with concern shining from her own eyes while the others pretended not to notice that Stiles was barely holding back panic. "That could take forever, though," he continued when he recovered. "I'll see if he has any info for us yet."
Mason licked his lips as Stiles called the sheriff. "Guys, I don't think you need me if you're gonna track him, right?"
"You have something else in mind?" Derek asked.
Liam looked at Derek nervously while Derek stared back impassively, waiting. The two didn't know each other well, having only recently become acquainted. Mason's fascination with his discovery of werewolves was constantly at odds with natural apprehension and Derek Hale definitely brought out more of the latter in Mason.
"I think I should go to Liam's house," Mason suggested. "I don't know why he's not answering and he doesn't ignore my calls or texts. Maybe something's up. Or if not, maybe he left a note or something for his dad." Mason didn't have to tell anyone he was beginning to worry about his own best friend. It was easy to detect in his words.
"I'll go with you," Kira offered. Mason nodded in acceptance. "I've got my mom's car," she said to Mason, "and it will make me feel more useful than following you guys around while you see if you can sniff him out," the Kitsune continued, directing her last comment to Derek and Malia. "Just make sure you call if you find anything, okay?"
"No useful information," Stiles informed them as he slipped his phone into his back pocket. "Dad is still there with Melissa but there's only one deputy there at the moment. He says he can keep her busy for a few minutes if we can be discreet around the area."
"It's a plan, then," Lydia announced as she stood. "Let's go."
With little left to say given their current lack of information, the friends dispersed.
